LITTLE ROCK — Top officials at the Arkansas House of Representatives no longer commute in state vehicles, House Chief of Staff Bill Stovall said Tuesday.
Stovall said outgoing House Speaker Robbie Wills, D-Conway, has turned in his 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe for use as a pool vehicle.
And State Rep. Robert Moore, D-Arkansas City, who will replace Wills as speaker next month, said he’ll drive his personal vehicle instead of a state vehicle.
Moore said he’s doing that because of “car-gate,” referring to the numerous stories by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette about state vehicle use. Those articles led to Gov. Mike Beebe ordering stricter policies on the accounting for and use of state vehicles.
Furthermore, Moore said he prefers driving his own vehicle, a 2009 Ford F-150 pickup.
Stovall, a former House speaker, said it would have been “difficult to justify” continuing to commute in state vehicles.
The House had four vehicles. It has sent two - both Ford Crown Victorias - to the Department of Finance and Administration to be sold.
He said this happened about three weeks ago after House staff members began to re-evaluate the practice of commuting in state vehicles.
The staff members who used state vehicles for commuting were Stovall, Parliamentarian Tim Massanelli and Legislative Services Director Buddy Johnson.
That leaves the House with two vehicles: the Tahoe and a 2010 Mercury Milan, which was driven by Stovall. They will now be used as pool vehicles for various errands by House staff, Stovall said.
After the 2011 legislative session, the House will reevaulate whether both pool vehicles are needed, he said.
Stovall said that the House is also planning on producing a policy for pool-vehicle use.
Stovall said that Wills and Moore both agreed with reducing the number of vehicles.
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Wills stopped driving the Tahoe about a month ago, Stovall said.
“I’m out of office and no longer needed it for state business,” Wills said.
Stovall said part of the rationale for the House’s decision to halt commutes in state vehicles was a difference in circumstances. For example, he said Johnson used to make a lot of presentations around the state but no longer does that.
Beebe’s executive order in October required state employees in administrative or office positions who don’t need their vehicle for daily work duties to receive exemptions from the Department of Finance and Administration before being allowed to take vehicles home.
House staff, however, aren’t covered by the governor’s order.
“We have had no discussion with the House about vehicles,” Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said. “They are not only independent but an entirely different branch of government. But it is encouraging to hear them proactively taking measures. It’s good to hear.”
Beebe last week said he was disappointed that the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, an independent agency, had made no changes on vehicle use.
Earlier this year, the state had about 8,700 vehicles, of which about 2,000 were used for commuting. Since then, about 100 fewer employees commute in state vehicles. The latest count of state vehicles is 8,579 but that may not include all agencies, according to the Department of Finance and Administration.
By using his own vehicle, Moore can collect mileage payments from the state for driving from his home in Arkansas City, which is about 120 miles away. Legislators receive 50 cents per mile.
Several constitutional officers said they would start paying income tax on the value of the personal use of their state vehicles, following reports that they weren’t paying the tax.
But Wills maintained during the summer that the speaker was in a different circumstance and didn’t have to pay income tax for driving a state vehicle.
Massanelli and Stovall cited Internal Revenue Service regulations that said travel between two places of business isn’t subject to tax. They said they considered a legislator’s home a place of business because the Arkansas Constitution requires legislators to live in their district.
Top Senate staff and the Senate president pro tempore don’t use state vehicles to commute and that’s been the case for years, Secretary of the Senate Ann Cornwell said.
The Senate has one pool vehicle, a 2003 Crown Victoria, that is used for errands and is always parked at the Capitol, she said.
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 12/29/2010