Arkansas lawmakers advance bill to create military committee
A bill to create the Joint Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs is headed to the Arkansas Senate for a final vote following approval by a legislative committee Thursday.
House Bill 1056 is sponsored by House Speaker Brian Evans, who told his House colleagues earlier this month that now's the time 'to show those who serve us in uniform that we are going to take their work more seriously.'
The Senate does not have a committee focused on military affairs, but the House has the Committee on Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs. If HB 1056 is approved, Evans said a resolution would be needed to remove 'military affairs' from the committee's name.
The Cabot Republican noted that his district is home to a large veteran population and cited several other military communities across the state, including central Arkansas' Little Rock Air Force Base and Camp Robinson, as well Fort Smith, home to Ebbing Air National Guard Base, which has been selected as as the new site of the Foreign Military Sales Program Pilot Training Center.
'As a body, [we] will do everything that we can possibly do with intent and with passion to make sure that we are providing those benefits that we can as a state and those opportunities and those protections for their families while they are out serving for us,' Evans said.
The new Joint Committee to Military and Veterans Affairs would consist of 12 representatives and eight senators. The Speaker would designate a House co-chair and co-vice chair while the chair and co-chair of the Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs would fill those positions on the Senate side.
The new joint committee could meet at any time at the call of the chairs. Bills or resolutions introduced during a legislative session pertaining to military or veterans affairs 'may be referred' to the joint committee, according to an amendment adopted Thursday.
Bart Hester, Senate President Tempore and HB1056 co-sponsor, explained to the Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Thursday that changing the word 'shall' to 'may' would allow the parliamentarian to send a bill pertaining to veterans and military affairs to another committee when appropriate.
Addressing concerns about the efficiency of creating a joint committee and challenges of scheduling a meeting during the legislative session, Hester said he'd 'be shocked' if the new group met more than twice during the current session.
HB1056, which will likely be considered by the full Senate next week, contains an emergency clause and would be effective immediately upon the governor's signature.
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