A bill to abolish 16 of Arkansas’ agriculture boards and commissions and consolidate their responsibilities passed in the House and Senate Wednesday night.
State lawmakers passed Senate Bill 403 late Wednesday and the bill was delivered to the governor’s desk Thursday morning.
The bill was filed by Sen. Blake Johnson, R-Corning, on March 9. It passed with only one dissenting vote in the Senate and 11 dissenting votes in the House.
Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward testified in support of the bill at the Senate Agriculture, Forestry & Economic Development Committee meeting on March 14.
Rep. DeAnn Vaught, R-Horatio, co-sponsor of the bill, presented it on the House floor Wednesday.
“Those boards will maintain their statutory authorities and responsibilities, authority to create more flexible and timely advisory committees and sub-committees for these boards, this reduces the number of people from 304 to 57 and the savings will be a minimum of $97,341,” Horatio said.
“I will say that Sen. Johnson worked very hard with all the different parties and the boards that they’re consolidating. He did the best that he could to try to help all of them become at least neutral. There is still some worry with the forestry board, but they stayed neutral in committee and didn’t speak against the bill.”
Horatio said the bill also corrects eight potential constitutional challenges.
Rep. Jeff Wardlaw, R-Hermitage, said on the House floor Wednesday he represents a forestry industry-heavy district and some of his constituents did not support the bill; the bill will abolish the Board of Registration for Foresters and transfer the board’s duties to the Arkansas Forestry Commission.
Rep. Delia J. Haak, R-Siloam Springs, spoke against the bill on the House floor.
“I just want to speak up for the farmers, and really wanting to not reduce or diminish the voices that are being heard now, there’s practically no savings of doing this, if it takes time for us as legislators, or agencies to listen to all the different boards or councils, so be it,” Haak said.
“Each one of these is very different in their make up, they’re not all the same. And each of these farmers and farm organizations in my opinion deserve to be heard in the state of Arkansas.”
Rep. Jim Wooten, R-Beebe, countered with support for the bill on the House floor.
“Some of these boards very seldom meet, others meet frequently, but they’re all going to be represented under this bill,” Wooten said.