LITTLE ROCK — Legislative committees will start to hit their stride next week as legislators get down to business in budget hearings.
The General Assembly convenes on Jan. 10, and House and Senate members will spend the coming weeks in committee meetings to prepare.
Gov. Mike Beebe has asked state agencies to hold the line on their budgets, though university employees may see a pay raise that's part of the proposed higher education budget. The state economy has been showing signs of improvement but Beebe says he wants to see continued month-to-month growth in revenue before making spending commitments.
Some agencies may have more money than expected,as the state has done away with hundreds of state vehicles after an evaluation showed the state had more than 8,000 vehicles in its fleet.