Tort Reform, Education Lead Issues for Session
by January 20, 2003 12:00 am 59 views
Real tort reform and funding related to public schools, Northwest Arkansas Community College and the University of Arkansas are top priorities for area legislators at the 84th General Assembly in Little Rock.
The biannual session began Jan. 13 and will run for a minimum of 60 calendar days to March 14. However, it’s long-standing tradition for the state’s legislative sessions to be extended into “special sessions” that will likely last into April or even May.
State Sen. Dave Bisbee, R-Rogers, is Northwest Arkansas’ most powerful state legislator. He’s third in seniority in the 35-member state Senate and chairs the Joint Budget Committee. He is also vice chairman of the Senate Efficiency Committee. (See chart, page 9)
State Rep. Mike Hathorn, D-Huntsville, chairs the 3rd Congressional District Caucus — comprising the 25 legislators from the district — and ranks 15th in the 100-member state House.
Both are expected to be big players this session as the General Assembly tries to tackle ongoing budget constraints and the Arkansas Supreme Court’s Lake View School District ruling, which mandates a quick financial fix for the way public schools are funded.
Another issue that Bisbee said should see some resolution is tort reform. He called it the “cheapest form of economic development that the state could pursue.”
“I think we have a real chance of getting real reform this session because we don’t have all the attorneys in the Senate protecting everything anymore,” Bisbee said. “In the past, we could never get a tort reform bill out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, but that’s all changed.”
The caucus, Bisbee said, will seek better funding for NWACC and work to protect the UA’s funding. Funding to turn Fayetteville’s former Washington Regional Medical Center facility into a veterans’ retirement home also will be sought.