House Speaker Rep. Jeremy Gillam said Tuesday that he expects a strong finish to the ongoing legislative session and is "very optimistic" it will wrap up around the end of the month.
Gillam, R-Judsonia, spoke to the Political Animals Club, calling this year's House membership "phenomenal," detailing issues likely to come up in the remainder of the session and even revealing that he once made an appearance on the television show The Price is Right.
Gillam told several dozen in attendance at the Little Rock Club atop the Regions Bank Building in downtown Little Rock that bills centered on workforce education and additional corrections reforms will be among those the House takes up in the coming days. And, he said, lawmakers will soon make a "final budget push."
"That's the reason we're sent here is for the budget," he said. "The rest of it is just kind of gravy on top."
Gillam said it's possible the session end may "give or take a day" and seep into April 1, but it should end then or before.
"I think that everything's going right now according to plan and it's going smooth," he said. "So at this point right now, we see no reason to think that we can't get things finished over the next ... two-and-a-half weeks."
Gillam also touched on new ethics overhauls that bar lobbyists from purchasing meals for state elected-officials in one-on-one sessions but still allow them to invite whole committees for catered functions.
Gillam said the receptions and events legislators are invited to are "mostly finger foods, hors d'oeuvres, things like that." And, he said, lawmakers aren't going to them frequently.
"It's kind of been reported that this is going on every night and everybody's out doing that stuff, and that's not really the case," he said, noting that he bought his own dinner at a group meal out Monday night. "That's not what it's been like at all ... It's not like when we go these events, it's filet mignon and things like that. That's not what's happening despite, like I said, what's on the Internet."
Gillam also told the group how he once appeared on the popular price-guessing television show The Price is Right. Gillam said he went with his wife to try to get her on the program, but he was called instead. He said it didn't go well, as he never made it off of the initial contestant's row and left only with a set of steak knives as a consolation prize.
He joked that he has the video of the appearance, but it isn't "FOI-able," meaning it can't be obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
"It's under lock-and-key," he said with a laugh after the speech.