Both chambers of the Arkansas Legislature have adjourned for the weekend with plans to reconvene Monday, without taking action on a plan to redraw the state's congressional districts.
The 93rd Arkansas General Assembly went back into session Wednesday, after taking an extended recess over the summer to wait for U.S. Census Bureau data from the federal government needed to reconfigure the lines for the state's four U.S. representatives.
About 20 redistricting bills have been filed and negotiations to find a consensus among lawmakers are ongoing.
Meanwhile, legislative committees have advanced several bills restricting employer-mandated coronavirus vaccinations, though whether lawmakers can legally consider bills not strictly related to redistricting or the use of American Rescue Plan Act funds has been disputed.
The Senate Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor met both before and after the Senate as a whole met Friday, resuming at 11:30 a.m., to consider a number of coronavirus-related bills.
Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for the full story.