House approves controversial Congressional map

story by Roby Brock and Michael Tilley
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Despite passionate opposition from legislators from the Fort Smith and Van Buren areas, the Arkansas House of Representatives approved technical amendments to a Congressional redistricting plan that splits the city of Alma and Crawford and Sebastian Counties.

The Arkansas House of Representatives was set to adjourn today, but complications with the new Congressional District map supported by leadership and constitutional questions added an extra day to the 88th General Assembly and sent legislators scrambling for another potential solution.

HB 1836, the new redistricting map, passed on a vote of 64-28.

Rep. Clark Hall, D-Marvell, said the map was the best compromise that Senate and House leaders could muster.

Even with the agreement, HB 1836 and its Senate companion bill, SB 972, had a technical error in it. Jason Tolbert with our content partner, The Tolbert Report, noted in an early morning blog post that two precincts in the city of Humphrey — on the Jefferson/Arkansas county line — were not included in the bill showing that they would move from the 4th to the 1st District. House leaders said a correction would be made in the Senate and sent back to the House to concur on Wednesday.

In his blog, Tolbert wondered about other possible errors.

“I guess these mistakes happen when you draw up a map in a hurry with politics in mind instead of communities of interest and don’t allow more time to review. If a blogger can find this mistake, what other problems does it have,” Tolbert wrote.

Several western Arkansas legislators spoke against the bill before Tuesday’s vote.

Rep. Tracy Pennartz, D-Fort Smith, talked about the relationship of the Fort Smith region to northwest Arkansas. She pleaded with colleagues to not support the map for economic, cultural, and social reasons.

"Vote with me in opposing this bill," she said.

Rep. Leslee Post, D-Ozark, whose district includes Alma, which will be sliced in half between the 3rd and 4th Districts, said the map was unfair.

"I don’t think this map drawn in haste yesterday. … I don’t think it’s the best map. There’s got to be a better option," Post said.

Rep. Terry Rice, R-Waldron, said the “rushed and flawed process” did not give the people of western Arkansas time to respond.

“They will not have the voice that they should have,” Rice said. “We give criminals way more notice and due process than we’ve given the people of Sebastian and Crawford.”

Prior to discussion on the vote, Rep. Donna Hutchinson, R-Bella Vista, reminded Hall that the people of Fayetteville had the opportunity to speak against the “Fayetteville to the Fourth” map. She suggested those in the Fort Smith metro area have the same opportunity.

House Speaker Robert Moore, D-Arkansas City, unexpectedly took to the floor to speak in support of the bill.

"There are Democrats and Republicans who like the map, there are Democrats and Republicans who don’t like the map," he said. "We’re not going to have a perfect map."

He also argued that as an elected official living in a district with two Congressmen, it has been a positive for his area.

"I think it is fair geographically. I think it is fair politically," Moore said. "We’ve come to a point that we have to reach an agreement and move on."

The bill heads to the Senate for amendment and consideration during a scheduled 2 p.m. vote before the Senate State Agencies committee.

“All of the people of Crawford and Sebastian County that would like to be heard at 2 p.m. State Agencies (committee) meeting should speak out,” Post said after the House vote. “Today is a sad day for all of Arkansas because we did an injustice to the political process.”

(Stay tuned to The City Wire for the report on Senate action.)