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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly 2
Regular Session, 2025 SCR 1 3
4
By: Senator Hester 5
By: Representative Evans 6
7
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 8
TO ADOPT THE JOINT RULES OF THE HOUSE OF 9
REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE OF THE NINETY -FIFTH 10
GENERAL ASSEMBLY. 11
12
13
Subtitle 14
TO ADOPT THE JOINT RULES OF THE HOUSE OF 15
REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE OF THE 16
NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY. 17
18
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY -FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE 19
STATE OF ARKANSAS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN: 20
21
SECTION 1. The Joint Rules of the House of Representatives and the 22
Senate of the Ninety -Fifth General Assembly are adopted to read as follows: 23
JOINT RULES 24
OF THE 25
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 26
AND THE SENATE 27
95
th
General Assembly 28
29
Joint Session - How Convened 30
Section 1. When, by the Constitution or laws of the state, a joint 31
meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives is required, they shall 32
assemble with their clerks on the day and at the hour previously agreed on 33
for that purpose in the hall of the House of Representatives. 34
35
Officers of Joint Session 36 SCR1
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Section 2. When the meeting is assembled, the President of the Senate 1
and Speaker of the House shall preside in conjunction, and the meeting shall 2
be governed by such standing rules as shall have been adopted for that 3
purpose by the concurrence of both houses. They shall have power to punish 4
any person, other than a member, for disorderly or contemptuous behavior in 5
their presence, by fine and imprisonment, in the same manner and to the same 6
extent as either house may do, for like conduct before it, by the 7
Constitution and laws of this state. 8
(A) Any member of either house who shall be guilty of 9
disorderly behavior in the presence of the meeting may be punished by the 10
house of which he or she is a member, in the same manner as if the offense 11
had been committed in the presence of that house. 12
(B) The Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House 13
shall both keep records of the proceedings, to be entered on the Journal of 14
their respective houses. 15
16
Manner of Presenting Bills, Etc. 17
Section 3. All bills, resolutions, votes and amendments by either 18
house, to which the concurrence of both is necessary, as well as messages, 19
shall be presented to the other by the Clerk or Secretary of the house from 20
which they are sent or by the assistant secretary or assistant clerk. 21
22
Contents of Bills 23
Section 4. No bill or resolution shall be passed by either house 24
containing more than one subject, which shall be expressed in the title. 25
House bills and resolutions shall have at least one House sponsor, and Senate 26
bills and resolutions shall have at least one Senate Sponsor. House bills, 27
House concurrent resolutions, and House joint resolutions may have Senate 28
sponsors, and Senate bills, Senate concurrent resolutions, and Senate joint 29
resolutions may have House sponsors. 30
31
Notice of Bill Rejection 32
Section 5. When a bill or resolution which has passed one house shall 33
be rejected by the other, notice thereof shall be given to the house in which 34
the same shall have passed. 35
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Engrossment of Bills 1
Section 6. After adoption of an amendment on the floor of the Senate, 2
regardless whether the bill or resolution originated in the House or the 3
Senate, the Senate shall engross the bill or resolution as amended. After 4
the adoption of the amendment on the floor of the House of Representatives, 5
regardless whether the bill or resolution originated in the House or the 6
Senate, the House of Representatives shall engross the bill or resolution as 7
amended. 8
This rule may be waived by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate or 9
in his or her absence the Chairman of Senate Rules Committee, or the Speaker 10
of the House of Representatives. 11
12
Enrollment of Bills 13
Section 7. When a bill shall have passed both houses, it shall be 14
enrolled by the enrolling clerk of the house in which it originated. 15
16
Section 8. All bills must be enrolled and reported to each house by 17
the committee designated by each house to supervise the enrolling of bills, 18
within three (3) days after their passage; provided, that if the 19
reconsideration of any bill is moved, in either house, previous to its 20
presentation to the Governor, the committee shall hold the same until action 21
is taken upon such motion. 22
23
Section 9. No bill, resolution, or memorial shall be sent to the 24
Governor for his or her approval, unless the same shall have been clearly and 25
fairly enrolled without obliteration or interlineation. 26
27
Signing of Bills 28
Section 10. After examination and report by the committee responsible 29
for enrolling bills, each bill shall be signed by the Speaker of the House of 30
Representatives and by the President of the Senate. Each page of a bill 31
shall be signed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives on the right 32
margin, and shall be signed by the President of the Senate on the left margin 33
of each page. The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President 34
of the Senate shall manually sign each page of each bill, or may provide, at 35
their option and under their supervision, for the affixing thereto of their 36 SCR1
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facsimile signature. 1
2
Conference Committee 3
Section 11. When either body shall request a conference, and appoint a 4
committee for that purpose, the other body shall also appoint a committee of 5
equal number to confer, and such conference shall be held at any time and 6
place agreed upon by the Chairpersons. 7
8
Suspension of Joint Rules 9
Section 12. No joint rules shall be dispensed with but by a concurrent 10
vote of two-thirds (2/3) of each house, and if either house shall violate a 11
joint rule, the question of order may be raised in the other house, and 12
decided in the same manner as in case of a violation of the rules of such 13
house. 14
15
Appropriation Bills 16
Section 13. The general appropriation bill, and all appropriation 17
bills recommended “do pass” by the Joint Budget Committee, shall be 18
privileged bills advanced upon the calendar, and take precedence over all 19
other bills at any time after the reading of the Journal. It shall be in 20
order, by the direction of the appropriate committee, to move that the House 21
or Senate (as the case may be) resolve itself into the committee of the whole 22
house for the purpose of considering the general appropriation bill, and no 23
dilatory motion shall be entertained by the presiding officer. 24
25
Deadline for the Introduction of Bills 26
Section 14. (A) Appropriation Bills. An "appropriation bill" means a 27
bill by the General Assembly that authorizes the expenditure of moneys if 28
moneys are available. 29
(1) No appropriation bill shall be filed for introduction in 30
either the House of Representatives or the Senate later than the fiftieth 31
(50th) day of a regular session except upon consent of two -thirds (2/3) of 32
the members elected to each house. When the filing deadline for any bills or 33
resolutions ends on Saturday or Sunday, the deadline is hereby extended until 34
the close of business the following Monday. 35
(2) No appropriation bill shall be filed for introduction in 36 SCR1
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either the House of Representatives or the Senate later than the fifteenth 1
(15th) day of a fiscal session except upon consent of two -thirds (2/3) of the 2
members elected to each house. 3
(B) Retirement System Legislation. 4
(1) Any proposed legislation affecting any publicly supported 5
retirement system or pension plan to be considered by the General Assembly at 6
a regular session shall be introduced in the General Assembly during the 7
first fifteen (15) calendar days of a regular session. 8
(2) No such bill shall be introduced after the fifteenth (15th) 9
day of a regular session unless its introduction is first approved by a 10
three-fourths (3/4) vote of the full membership of each house of the General 11
Assembly. 12
(3) A bill affecting any publicly supported retirement system or 13
systems shall not be introduced at any special session of the General 14
Assembly unless the introduction and consideration of the bill is first 15
approved by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the full membership of each house 16
of the General Assembly. 17
(C) Non-appropriation Legislation During a Fiscal Session. 18
(1) For a fiscal session, a non -appropriation bill shall not be 19
filed for introduction until identical resolutions authorizing the 20
introduction of the non -appropriation bill have been approved by an 21
affirmative vote of two -thirds (2/3) of the members elected to each house. 22
(2) The identical resolutions authorizing the introduction of a 23
non-appropriation bill in a fiscal session shall not be filed for 24
introduction in either the House of Representatives or the Senate later than 25
the first (1st) day of a fiscal session. 26
(3) A non-appropriation bill shall not be filed for introduction 27
in either the House of Representatives or the Senate later than the fifteenth 28
(15th) day of a fiscal session. 29
(D) Non-procedural Resolutions During a Special Session. 30
(1) As used in this subsection (D), "non -procedural resolution" 31
means a resolution unrelated to the procedures followed by the House of 32
Representatives or the Senate or both during a legislative session. 33
(2) A non-procedural resolution shall not be introduced at any 34
special session of the General Assembly in either chamber. 35
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(E) State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Program 1
Legislation. 2
(1) As used in this subsection (D): 3
(a) “Entity of the state” means any agency, board, bureau, 4
commission, committee, council, department, division, institution of higher 5
education, office, public school, quasi -public organization, or other 6
political subdivision of the state; and 7
(b) “Health benefit plan” means a policy, contract, 8
certificate, or agreement offered or issued by an entity to provide, deliver, 9
arrange for, pay for, or reimburse any of the costs of healthcare services, 10
including pharmacy benefits, to an entity of the state. 11
(2) A bill affecting the State and Public School Life and Health 12
Insurance Program or that imposes a new or increased cost obligation for 13
health benefit plans, including pharmacy benefits, on an entity of the state 14
on the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Program to be 15
considered by the General Assembly at a regular session shall be introduced 16
in the General Assembly during the first fifteen (15) calendar days of a 17
regular session. 18
(3)(2) A bill as described in subsection (D)(2)(E)(1) shall not 19
be introduced after the fifteenth day of a regular session unless the 20
introduction of the bill is first approved by a three -fourths (3/4) vote of 21
the full membership of each house of the General Assembly. 22
(4)(3) A bill affecting the State and Public School Life and 23
Health Insurance Program or that imposes a new or increased cost obligation 24
for health benefit plans, including pharmacy benefits, on an entity of the 25
state on the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Program shall 26
not be introduced or considered at a fiscal session or an extraordinary a 27
special session of the General Assembly unless the introduction and 28
consideration of the bill is first approved by a two -thirds (2/3) vote of the 29
full membership of each house of the General Assembly. 30
(E)(F) Lottery-Funded Scholarship Legislation. 31
(1) The following proposed legislation to be considered by the 32
General Assembly at a regular session shall be introduced in the General 33
Assembly during the first thirty -one (31) calendar days of a regular session: 34
(a) A bill that creates a new scholarship to be funded 35
with net proceeds from the state lottery or the Higher Education Grants Fund 36 SCR1
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Account, as applicable; and 1
(b) A bill that affects an existing scholarship that is 2
funded with net proceeds from the state lottery or the Higher Education 3
Grants Fund Account, as applicable. 4
(2)(a) A bill creating a new scholarship to be funded with net 5
proceeds from the state lottery or the Higher Education Grants Fund Account, 6
as applicable, or affecting an existing scholarship that is funded with net 7
proceeds from the state lottery or the Higher Education Grants Fund Account, 8
as applicable, shall not be introduced after the thirty -first day of a 9
regular session unless its introduction is first approved by a three -fourths 10
(3/4) vote of the full membership of each chamber of the General Assembly. 11
(b) If the General Assembly recesses for longer than three 12
(3) consecutive days during the first thirty -one (31) days of a regular 13
session, the deadline imposed under this section shall be extended for a time 14
period equal to the recess. 15
(3) A bill creating a new scholarship to be funded with net 16
proceeds from the state lottery or the Higher Education Grants Fund Account, 17
as applicable, or affecting an existing scholarship that is funded with net 18
proceeds from the state lottery or the Higher Education Grants Fund Account, 19
as applicable, shall not be introduced or considered at a special session or 20
fiscal session of the General Assembly unless the introduction or 21
consideration of the bill is first approved by a two -thirds (2/3) vote of the 22
full membership of each chamber of the General Assembly. 23
(F)(G) When the filing deadline for any bills or resolutions ends on 24
Saturday or Sunday, the deadline is extended until the close of business the 25
following Monday. 26
(G)(H) If the General Assembly recesses for longer than three (3) 27
consecutive days during the first fifteen (15) days of a regular session, the 28
fifteen-day introduction deadlines established in this section shall be 29
extended for a time period equal to the recess. 30
31
Introduction of Health Care Healthcare Legislation 32
Section 15. (A) Any proposed legislation affecting the licensure of 33
any profession, occupation, or class of health care healthcare providers not 34
currently licensed, or expanding the scope of practice of any profession, 35
occupation, or class of health care healthcare providers to be considered by 36 SCR1
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the General Assembly at a regular biennial session shall be introduced in the 1
General Assembly during the first fifteen (15) calendar days of a regular 2
biennial session. 3
(B) No such bill shall be introduced after the fifteenth (15th) day of 4
a regular biennial session unless its introduction is first approved by a 5
three-fourths (3/4) vote of the full membership of each house of the General 6
Assembly. 7
(C) The Senate and the House, and committees of the Senate and House, 8
shall take no action on any such bill for an additional fifteen (15) calendar 9
days after the fifteen (15) calendar day deadline for introduction of such 10
bills has passed. 11
12
Method of Preparing Bills and Resolutions - Automated Bill Preparation System 13
Section 16. (A) No bill or resolution, as defined herein, shall be 14
accepted for introduction by clerks of the Senate or of the House of 15
Representatives unless such bill or resolution has been prepared for 16
introduction by an automated bill preparation system developed by the Bureau 17
of Legislative Research. 18
(1) The Bureau of Legislative Research shall establish and 19
operate, in cooperation with the appropriate officials of the House of 20
Representatives and the Senate, an automated bill preparation system in which 21
all bills and resolutions, as defined herein, shall be prepared for 22
introduction. Such system shall be designed in a manner which will permit 23
either or both houses of the General Assembly to install compatible and 24
interconnecting electronic equipment for the preparation of bills and 25
resolutions in the same format as prepared by the Bureau of Legislative 26
Research for introduction in either house of the General Assembly. 27
(2) The Bureau of Legislative Research shall provide the 28
Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives 29
access by electronic medium to the central bill files in which bills and 30
resolutions recorded in the automated bill preparation system are stored, to 31
enable the engrossing rooms of the respective houses to have ready access 32
thereto for enrollment of engrossed amendments adopted to such bills and 33
resolutions. 34
(3) As used herein: 35
(a) “resolutions” shall mean all resolutions prepared for 36 SCR1
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introduction which require the concurrence of both houses of the General 1
Assembly for the adoption thereof, and shall include resolutions prepared for 2
consideration by only the house in which introduced; 3
(b) “automated bill preparation system” shall mean an 4
automated system using word processors, computers, or other electronic 5
devices for the typing and preparation of bills and resolutions (as defined 6
herein) for introduction by members of the General Assembly in either the 7
Senate or the House of Representatives, and shall include the following 8
features: 9
(i) a separate identification number, to be placed 10
upon each page of the original and each copy thereof prepared for 11
introduction in the General Assembly; 12
(ii) a method of electronically recording the 13
contents of each bill and resolution for ready access for retrieval and 14
engrossment purposes; 15
(iii) security features to protect the automated 16
bill preparation files from access by unauthorized persons, and to maintain 17
the integrity and confidentiality of drafts of bills and resolutions prepared 18
by the Bureau of Legislative Research for members of the General Assembly 19
which have not been filed for introduction; and 20
(iv) such other features as deemed to be necessary 21
and advisable by the Bureau of Legislative Research after consulting with the 22
appropriate officials of the House of Representatives and the Senate. 23
(B) All bills and resolutions introduced in the House and Senate shall 24
be prepared on 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper. The number of copies of bills and 25
resolutions to be prepared for introduction shall be specified by the 26
Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives. 27
One (1) copy shall be placed in the manuscript cover provided for the 28
official copy of bills or resolutions and one (1) copy shall be placed in the 29
manuscript cover provided for the duplicate copy, with any additional copies 30
attached thereto in the manner prescribed by the respective houses. In 31
addition, copies of the caption on each bill or resolution shall be prepared 32
and attached thereto at the time of introduction. 33
(C) Upon the introduction of each bill and resolution, the appropriate 34
clerks of the respective houses shall cause the original signed copy thereof 35
(which is contained in the official bill or resolution manuscript cover) to 36 SCR1
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be identified as the official copy by perforation or stamping on the left 1
margin of each page thereof the words “HOUSE ORIGINAL” to be placed on each 2
official original copy of House bills and resolutions, and the words “SENATE 3
ORIGINAL” to be placed on the left margin of each official original copy of 4
Senate bills and resolutions. Whenever any bill or resolution is amended, 5
the engrossed page or pages thereof shall be perforated in the same manner as 6
the original introduced copy. Only the original signed copy of a bill or 7
resolution and engrossed pages thereof shall be perforated or stamped as 8
provided herein. 9
(D) If any person shall unlawfully perforate any fraudulent or 10
counterfeit copy of any bill or resolution for the purpose of intentionally 11
inserting in any bill or resolution any page or provision thereof for the 12
purpose of altering the bill or resolution as introduced, such person shall 13
be in contempt of the House or Senate, or both House and Senate, and shall be 14
punished accordingly. If any person shall make any alteration, change or 15
erasure in any original copy of a bill or resolution as originally 16
introduced, except upon direction of the House or Senate, or both House and 17
Senate, or upon direction of the appropriate committees on engrossed or 18
enrolled bills, such person shall be in contempt of the House or Senate, or 19
both of them and shall be punished accordingly. In addition, such person 20
shall be subject to such fine and imprisonment as may be imposed by the laws 21
of this State for fraud. 22
(E)(1) Only bills and amendments to bills which meet the requirements 23
of this subsection (E) may be introduced into the Senate or the House of 24
Representatives. 25
(2) Except as provided in subsections (E)(5), (6) and (8), all 26
bills and amendments to bills shall reflect the changes proposed in the 27
existing law by: 28
(a) over striking all language of the existing law which 29
is proposed to be deleted; and 30
(b) underlining all new language proposed to be added to 31
the existing law. At the top of the first page of the bill shall appear 32
language substantially similar to the following: “Stricken language would be 33
deleted from present law. Underlined language would be added to present 34
law.” 35
(3) Except as provided in subsections (E)(5), (6) and (8), all 36 SCR1
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resolutions proposing amendments to the Arkansas Constitution and amendments 1
to resolutions shall reflect the changes proposed in the existing 2
Constitution by: 3
(a) over striking all language of the existing 4
Constitution which is proposed to be deleted; and 5
(b) underlining all new language proposed to be added to 6
the existing Constitution. At the top of the first page of the bill shall 7
appear language substantially similar to the following: “Stricken language 8
would be deleted from the present Constitution. Underlined language would be 9
added to present Constitution.” 10
(4) Except as provided in subsections (E)(5), (6) and (8), all 11
resolutions proposing changes in the rules of the Senate or House or the 12
joint rules of the Senate and House shall reflect the changes proposed in the 13
existing rule by: 14
(a) over striking all language of the existing rule which 15
is proposed to be deleted; and 16
(b) underlining all new language proposed to be added to 17
the existing rule. At the top of the first page of the resolution shall 18
appear language substantially similar to the following: “Stricken language 19
would be deleted from present rule. Underlined language would be added to 20
present rule.” 21
(5) This subsection (E) may be waived by the President Pro 22
Tempore of the Senate or in his or her absence, the Chairman of the Senate 23
Rules Committee, or the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 24
(6) Markups are not required of the following: 25
(a) appropriation sections, state agencies regular salary 26
sections, and state agencies extra help sections contained within a bill if 27
the sections do not specifically amend existing law; 28
(b) sections which allocate funds within the Revenue 29
Stabilization Law or within the General Improvement Fund Distribution Law; 30
and 31
(c) sections which amend Arkansas Code §§ 21-5-208(b) and 32
21-5-209(e).; and 33
(d)(i) sections repealing, amending, reenacting or 34
creating a title of the Arkansas Code in conjunction with a recodification of 35
the title. 36 SCR1
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(ii) Subdivision (E)(6)(d)(i) of this section does 1
not require the inclusion of the following in a bill: 2
(A) An existing appendix of a title of the 3
Arkansas Code in a bill when recodifying that title of the Arkansas Code if 4
the appendix is not being amended, repealed, or reenacted; or 5
(B) Portions of a title of the Arkansas Code 6
subject to recodification that are not being amended, repealed, or reenacted. 7
(7) It shall be the duty of the Chairman of the Joint Budget 8
Committee to have a schedule prepared which reflects the amounts approved by 9
the Joint Budget Committee for each category for each fund within the Revenue 10
Stabilization Law to provide funding for the budget enacted by the General 11
Assembly and a schedule reflecting the proposed distribution of General 12
Improvement funds. The schedule reflecting the allocation of funds in the 13
Revenue Stabilization Law for the next fiscal year shall be submitted during 14
a regular session or fiscal session to each body of the Arkansas General 15
Assembly at least three (3) calendar days prior to the day at which the same 16
is to be considered for final passage. The schedule reflecting the 17
allocation of funds in the General Improvement Fund Distribution Law for the 18
next biennium shall be submitted during a regular session to each body of the 19
Arkansas General Assembly at least three (3) calendar days prior to the day 20
at which the same is to be considered for final passage. 21
(8) Markups are not required on sections that are substantially 22
the same as the following boiler -plate sections: 23
24
“SECTION. COMPLIANCE WITH OTHER LAWS. Disbursement of funds 25
authorized by this Act shall be limited to the appropriation for such agency 26
and funds made available by law for the support of such appropriations; and 27
the restrictions of the State Purchasing Law, the General Accounting and 28
Budgetary Procedures Law, the Revenue Stabilization Law, the Regular Salary 29
Procedures and Restrictions Act, the Higher Education Expenditure 30
Restrictions Act, where applicable, and regulations promulgated by the 31
Department of Finance and Administration, as authorized by law, shall be 32
strictly complied with in disbursement of said funds. 33
34
SECTION. EMPLOYMENT OF ATTORNEYS. None of the funds appropriated in 35
this Act for Maintenance and General Operation shall be expended in payment 36 SCR1
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for services of attorneys, unless the agency shall first make a request in 1
writing to the Attorney General of the State of Arkansas to provide the 2
required legal services. The Attorney General’s Office shall provide the 3
required legal services, or, if the Attorney General’s Office shall determine 4
that sufficient personnel are not available to provide the requested legal 5
services, the Attorney General shall certify the same to the agency and may 6
authorize the agency to employ legal counsel and to expend monies 7
appropriated for Maintenance and General Operations thereof, if: 8
(1) The Attorney General determines, and certifies in writing, 9
that such agency needs the advice or assistance of legal counsel, and 10
(2) The Attorney General consents in writing to the employment 11
of the legal counsel to be retained by the agency. 12
Such certification shall be required with respect to each 13
instance of the employment of special legal counsel, or shall be required 14
annually with respect to legal counsel employed on a retainer basis. A copy 15
of such certification shall be entered in the official minutes of the agency, 16
and shall be retained in the fiscal records of the agency for audit purposes. 17
18
SECTION. DISBURSEMENT CONTROLS. (A) No contract may be awarded nor 19
obligations otherwise incurred in relation to the project or projects 20
described herein in excess of the State Treasury funds actually available 21
therefore as provided by law. Provided, however, that institutions and 22
agencies listed herein shall have the authority to accept and use grants and 23
donations including Federal funds, and to use its unobligated cash income or 24
funds, or both available to it, for the purpose of supplementing the State 25
Treasury funds for financing the entire costs of the project or projects 26
enumerated herein. Provided further, that the appropriations and funds 27
otherwise provided by the General Assembly for Maintenance and General 28
Operations of the agency or institutions receiving appropriation herein shall 29
not be used for any of the purposes as appropriated in this Act. 30
(B) The restrictions of any applicable provisions of the State 31
Purchasing Law, the General Accounting and Budgetary Procedures Law, the 32
Revenue Stabilization Law and any other applicable fiscal control laws of 33
this State and regulations promulgated by the Department of Finance and 34
Administration, as authorized by law, shall be strictly complied with in 35
disbursement of any funds provided by this Act unless specifically provided 36 SCR1
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otherwise by law. 1
2
SECTION. LEGISLATIVE INTENT. It is the intent of the General Assembly 3
that any funds disbursed under the authority of the appropriations contained 4
in this Act shall be in compliance with the stated reasons for which this Act 5
was adopted, as evidenced by the Agency Requests, Executive Recommendations 6
and Legislative Recommendations contained in the budget manuals prepared by 7
the Department of Finance and Administration, letters, or summarized oral 8
testimony in the official minutes of the Arkansas Legislative Council or 9
Joint Budget Committee which relate to its passage and adoption. 10
11
Section 17. (A) Once a Senate bill has passed the House of 12
Representatives and returned to the Senate, it may not be subsequently 13
amended in the Senate unless the House expunges the vote by which it passed 14
the bill and any amendments to the bill and the Senate expunges the vote by 15
which the bill was passed and places the bill on second reading. 16
(B) Once a House bill has passed the Senate and has been returned to 17
the House, it may not be subsequently amended in the House unless the Senate 18
expunges the vote by which it passed the bill and any amendments to the bill 19
and the House expunges the vote by which the bill was passed and places the 20
bill on second reading. 21
22
Submission of Bills to Governor 23
Section 18. Whenever any Senate bill shall be approved by the House of 24
Representatives and enrolled by the Senate, the Secretary of the Senate or 25
one of his or her authorized agents shall without delay, deliver the same to 26
the Governor or his or her designated representative and take receipt 27
thereof, which receipt shall be returned to the Senate and entered in the 28
Journal. Whenever any House bill shall be approved by the Senate and 29
enrolled by the House, the Chief Clerk of the House or one of his or her 30
authorized agents shall, without delay, deliver the same to the Governor or 31
his or her designated representative and take receipt thereof, which receipt 32
shall be returned to the House and entered in the Journal. In the event the 33
Governor, or his or her designated representative, shall refuse to accept 34
delivery of any such bill, the Secretary of the Senate, or the Chief Clerk of 35
the House, or their designated agents, as the case may be, shall forthwith 36 SCR1
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serve the same by handing the bill to either the Governor or to any employee 1
of the Governor’s office, and shall return a certificate to the Senate or the 2
House as the case may be, of the date and time of such delivery and of the 3
name of the person to whom delivered and such certificate shall be entered in 4
the Journal of the Senate or the Journal of the House, as the case may be, 5
and shall constitute proof of delivery of said bill to the Governor in 6
determining the period of time in which the Governor has to sign the same or 7
return it to the Senate or the House with his or her veto as provided in the 8
Constitution of the State of Arkansas. 9
10
Constitutional Amendments 11
Section 19. (A)(1) The Senate may, according to its rules, recommend 12
one (1) proposed constitutional amendment for consideration and vote by the 13
House of Representatives and the Senate. 14
(2) If the Senate-proposed constitutional amendment does not 15
receive an affirmative vote of the majority of the House of Representatives, 16
the Senate may, according to its rules, recommend additional proposed 17
constitutional amendments to the House of Representatives one (1) at a time 18
until the House of Representatives affirms by a majority vote the Senate -19
proposed constitutional amendment. 20
(B)(1) The House of Representatives may, according to its rules, 21
recommend one (1) proposed constitutional amendment for consideration and 22
vote by the House of Representatives and the Senate. 23
(2) If the House of Representatives -proposed constitutional 24
amendment does not receive an affirmative vote of the majority of the Senate, 25
the House of Representatives may, according to its rules, recommend 26
additional proposed constitutional amendments to the Senate one (1) at a time 27
until the Senate affirms by a majority vote the House of Representatives -28
proposed constitutional amendment. 29
(C) A third (3
rd
) proposed constitutional amendment shall not be 30
considered or voted upon by the General Assembly until identical resolutions 31
authorizing the consideration of the proposed constitutional amendment have 32
been approved by an affirmative vote of two -thirds (2/3) of the members 33
elected to each house. 34
(D) A resolution proposing a constitutional amendment shall not be 35
filed in either the House of Representatives or the Senate after the thirty -36 SCR1
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first (31st) day of each regular session of the General Assembly. 1
(E) A resolution proposing a constitutional amendment shall be 2
considered only during a regular session. 3
4
Joint Meetings of Senate and House Committees 5
Section 20. The standing and select Committees of the Senate and the 6
House of Representatives are authorized to hold joint meetings upon the call 7
of the Chairpersons of the two committees involved or by one -half (1/2) or 8
more of the members of both committees involved. 9
10
Correction of Obvious Errors 11
Section 21. The Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the 12
House are authorized, subject to approval by the appropriate designated 13
committee, to correct obvious errors occurring in documents originating in 14
the House and the Senate respectively, provided that each such correction is 15
noted on the bill jacket and is documented by a “correction note” at the end 16
of the official daily journal for the date on which the correction was made. 17
18
Assigning Bill and Resolution Numbers 19
Section 22. In assigning numbers to bills and resolutions introduced 20
in the Senate and House of Representatives, Senate bills and resolutions 21
shall be numbered commencing with the figure 1, and House bills and 22
resolutions shall be assigned numbers commencing with the figure 1001. 23
24
Pre-filing of Bills and Resolutions 25
Section 23. (A) Beginning on November 15th of each year preceding a 26
regular session of the General Assembly, each holdover member of the Senate 27
who will be serving at the next following regular session of the General 28
Assembly, and each member -elect of the General Assembly, as soon as the 29
members-elect of the next General Assembly are certified to the Secretary of 30
State, shall be permitted to prefile bills and resolutions for such regular 31
session with the Chief Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate. 32
(B)(1) Beginning on the second Monday of January of each year of 33
a fiscal session of the General Assembly, each member of the House of 34
Representatives and the Senate may prefile appropriation bills and 35
resolutions for the fiscal session with the Chief Clerk of the House and the 36 SCR1
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Secretary of the Senate. 1
(2) A non-appropriation bill may not be pre -filed prior to 2
a fiscal session due to the requirements of Article 5, § 5 of the 3
Constitution of Arkansas. 4
5
Interim Committee Meetings 6
Section 24. (A) Interim committees shall not meet beginning January 1 7
immediately prior to a regular legislative session, without the prior 8
approval of: 9
(1) The current Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 10
current President Pro Tempore of the Senate for joint interim committees; 11
(2) The current Speaker of the House of Representatives for 12
interim committees of the House of Representatives; or 13
(3) The current President Pro Tempore of the Senate for interim 14
committees of the Senate. 15
(B)(1) Interim committees, including the Legislative Council and 16
Legislative Joint Auditing Committee and their respective subcommittees, 17
shall not schedule a meeting at the same time as a regularly scheduled pre -18
session Arkansas Legislative Council/Joint Budget Committee or Joint Budget 19
Committee budget hearing meeting, unless the pre -session budget hearing 20
meeting was scheduled with less than one week's notice and prior 21
authorization for the conflicting interim committee meeting is granted by the 22
President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 23
Representatives. 24
(2)(a) For purposes of this rule, "regularly scheduled pre -25
session budget hearing meetings" means those pre -session budget hearings that 26
are held prior to the regular or fiscal session for the purpose of 27
recommending agency appropriation bills for the following regular or fiscal 28
session. 29
(b) "Regularly scheduled pre -session budget hearing 30
meetings" does not include meetings of the subcommittees of the Arkansas 31
Legislative Council/Joint Budget Committee or the Joint Budget Committee. 32
(C) Interim committees and their respective subcommittees, including 33
legislative task forces, councils, or other statutorily created legislative 34
bodies, shall not schedule a meeting during the week of a regularly scheduled 35
meeting of the Legislative Council, unless prior authorization for the 36 SCR1
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conflicting interim committee meeting is granted by the President Pro Tempore 1
of the Senate, for a Senate committee or subcommittee, the Speaker of the 2
House of Representatives for a House committee or subcommittee, or both the 3
Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the 4
Senate for a joint committee or task force. 5
(D) Interim committees and their respective subcommittees, including 6
legislative task forces, councils, and other statutorily created legislative 7
bodies, may meet and transact their normal business during a recess of the 8
General Assembly that is in excess of thirty (30) calendar days. 9
10
Procedural Requirements for Creating or Amending Lottery -Funded Scholarships 11
Section 25.(A) Lottery fiscal impact statements. 12
(1) Any bill filed with the Senate or the House of 13
Representatives that creates a new scholarship to be funded with net proceeds 14
from the state lottery or the Higher Education Grants Fund Account, as 15
applicable, or affects an existing scholarship that is funded with net 16
proceeds from the state lottery or the Higher Education Grants Fund Account, 17
as applicable, shall: 18
(a)(i) Have a lottery fiscal impact statement 19
attached to it that is substantially in the form set forth in Arkansas Code § 20
6-85-502. 21
(ii) A bill that creates a new scholarship to 22
be funded with net proceeds from the state lottery or the Higher Education 23
Grants Fund Account, as applicable, or affects an existing scholarship that 24
is funded with net proceeds from the state lottery or the Higher Education 25
Grants Fund Account, as applicable, shall not be taken up by the House 26
Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education, meeting 27
jointly, until a lottery fiscal impact statement is attached; and 28
(b) Not take effect until at least one (1) year 29
immediately following the year in which the scholarship was enacted. 30
(2) The lottery fiscal impact of a bill that creates a new 31
scholarship to be funded with net proceeds from the state lottery or the 32
Higher Education Grants Fund Account, as applicable, or affects an existing 33
scholarship that is funded with net proceeds from the state lottery or the 34
Higher Education Grants Fund Account, as applicable, shall be determined in 35
the manner set forth in Arkansas Code § 6 -85-502. 36 SCR1
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(3) In addition to the information required under 1
subdivision (A)(2) of this section, the final lottery fiscal impact statement 2
regarding the scholarship that is the subject of the bill shall include and 3
be calculated as required under Arkansas Code § 6 -85-502. 4
(4)(a)(i) If the final lottery fiscal impact statement 5
results in a positive number, the House Committee on Education and the Senate 6
Committee on Education, meeting jointly during a regular session, special 7
session, or fiscal session, may refer a bill creating a new scholarship to be 8
funded with net proceeds from the state lottery or the Higher Education 9
Grants Fund Account, as applicable, or amending an existing scholarship 10
funded with net proceeds from the state lottery or the Higher Education 11
Grants Fund Account, as applicable, to either chamber of the General Assembly 12
for consideration. 13
(ii) The referral of a bill under subdivision 14
(A)(4)(a)(i) of this section shall require approval by a separate vote of 15
House Committee on Education members and Senate Committee on Education 16
members, meeting jointly during a regular session, special session, or fiscal 17
session. 18
(b) If the final lottery fiscal impact results in a 19
negative number, the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on 20
Education, meeting jointly during a regular session, special session, or 21
fiscal session, shall not refer the bill to either chamber of the General 22
Assembly for consideration unless: 23
(i) The bill is amended to ensure the final lottery 24
fiscal impact results in a positive number; or 25
(ii) Additional funding is provided through the 26
General Revenue Fund Account. 27
(B) Consideration of bills. 28
(1) The House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on 29
Education shall meet jointly during a regular session, special session, or 30
fiscal session to consider any bill: 31
(a) Creating a new scholarship to be funded with net 32
proceeds from the state lottery or the Higher Education Grants Fund Account; 33
or 34
(b) Affecting an existing scholarship that is funded with 35
net proceeds from the state lottery or the Higher Education Grants Fund 36 SCR1
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Account. 1
(2) A bill creating a new scholarship to be funded with net 2
proceeds from the state lottery or the Higher Education Grants Fund Account, 3
as applicable, or affecting an existing scholarship funded with net proceeds 4
from the state lottery or the Higher Education Grants Fund Account, as 5
applicable, shall not be recommended to either chamber of the General 6
Assembly except upon an affirmative vote or a majority of the members of the 7
following, meeting jointly during a regular session, special session, or 8
fiscal session: 9
(a) House Committee on Education; and 10
(b) Senate Committee on Education. 11
(3) A lottery fiscal impact statement prepared for a bill as 12
required under Arkansas Code § 6 -85-502 shall be amended each time the House 13
Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education recommends to 14
either chamber of the General Assembly a bill creating a new scholarship to 15
be funded with net proceeds from the state lottery or the Higher Education 16
Grants Fund Account, as applicable, or affecting an existing scholarship 17
funded with net proceeds from the state lottery or the Higher Education 18
Grants Fund Account, as applicable, in order to account for the updated 19
lottery fiscal impact, if any, the bill that proposes a new scholarship or 20
amends an existing scholarship will have. 21
22
Fiscal Impact Statements -- State and Public School Life and Health Insurance 23
Program Bills 24
Section 26.(A) For purposes of this section, “fiscal impact statement” 25
means a realistic written statement of the purpose of a proposed law and the 26
estimated financial cost to the State and Public School Life and Health 27
Insurance Program of implementing or complying with the proposed law. 28
(B)(1) A bill filed in the House of Representatives or the Senate that 29
will impose a new or increased cost obligation on the State and Public School 30
Life and Health Insurance Program shall: 31
(a) Have a fiscal impact statement attached to the bill 32
prepared and filed with the chair of the committee to which the bill is 33
referred; and 34
(b) Not be taken up by the committee to which the bill is 35
referred until a fiscal impact statement is provided to the chair of the 36 SCR1
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committee. 1
(2) A fiscal impact statement required by this section shall be 2
prepared by an actuary under contract with the Bureau of Legislative Research 3
for this purpose. 4
(C)(1)(a) If a House bill or Senate bill is called up for final 5
passage in the House of Representatives or the Senate and a fiscal impact 6
statement has not been provided by the sponsor of the bill or by the 7
committee to which the bill was referred, a member of the House of 8
Representatives or the Senate may object to the bill’s being called up for 9
final passage until a fiscal impact statement is prepared and made available 10
on the desk of each member of the House of Representatives or the Senate at 11
least one (1) day before the bill is called up for final passage. 12
(b) An affirmative vote of two -thirds (2/3) of a quorum 13
present and voting shall override the objection. 14
(2) If an objection is made without override, the presiding 15
officer of the House of Representatives or the Senate shall cause the bill to 16
be referred to an actuary for the preparation of a fiscal impact statement, 17
which shall be filed with the presiding officer not later than five (5) days 18
from the date of the request. 19
(D) A fiscal impact statement required by this section shall be 20
prepared by an actuary under contract with the Bureau of Legislative Research 21
for this purpose within the guidelines adopted by the House Committee on 22
Insurance and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Insurance and Commerce. 23
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