Arkansas’ House shelled out more than $375,000 on cameras and hardware so four committee rooms could broadcast meetings in real time. But, if state representatives vote not to air their meetings online, the gadgets might collect dust instead.
Not all of the House’s conference rooms are equipped to stream proceedings online, which some representatives say makes for an unevenly transparent playing field.
House Majority Leader Johnnie Roebuck says broadcasting meetings from some committees but not others could give Arkansans a skewed perspective of how things work in the House.
Other lawmakers, including House Minority Leader John Burris, say live-streaming the meetings could lead to more transparency.