State Capitol briefs

Legislators compare ties Tuesday after Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s address to a joint session of the state House and Senate.
Legislators compare ties Tuesday after Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s address to a joint session of the state House and Senate.

Vines takes post as House legal counsel

Former state Rep. John Vines, D-Hot Springs, started work Monday as the House's legal counsel and assistant parliamentarian at a salary of $115,000 a year, House officials said Tuesday.




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Vines, an attorney, served in the House from 2011 until Monday. He didn't seek re-election to his House District 25 seat last year. He was chairman of the House Rules Committee in 2015 and 2016 -- a post to which House Speaker Jeremy Gillam, R-Judsonia, appointed him in January 2015.

"We came to realize we had a huge gap in coverage when it came to legal counsel" during the past few years, Gillam said, while the Senate, the Bureau of Legislative Research and Arkansas Legislative Council have their own legal counsels.

"We were running into some situations where the bureau couldn't intervene or offer any advice on our behalf because they represent the entire General Assembly," Gillam said. He said he asked Vines toward the end of his term whether Vines would be interested in serving as the House's counsel. He said Vines also will serve as the backup to House parliamentarian Buddy Johnson.

Vines said the House hasn't had a legal counsel since Bridgette Frazier. Frazier worked as the House's counsel from 1999-2009.

Joint panel backs appropriation bill

The Joint Budget Committee recommended approval of legislation it sponsored -- House Bill 1066, the general appropriation for the expenses of the judicial and legislative branches of government.

The bill, covering fiscal 2018, includes $795,000 for special and recalled circuit judges, trial judges' expenses and district judges' travel expense reimbursement; $368,000 for interim expense reimbursements to representatives, and $200,000 for interim expense reimbursements to senators.

Under the Arkansas Constitution, the general appropriation bill is the first appropriation that the General Assembly must approve before approving any other appropriation bill.

A Section on 01/11/2017

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