Sen. Lamoureux Limits Role As Second In Command

Sen. Michael Lamoureux (R-Russellville), President of the Arkansas State Senate, is next in line to serve as Governor following the resignation of Lt. Governor Mark Darr on Jan. 31.

Lamoureux issued the following statement today and stated he would limit his role in assuming duties that normally fall under the Lt. Governor’s purview.

On February 2, 2014 Mark Darr resigned as Lieutenant Governor of the State of Arkansas. In his role as Lieutenant Governor he served as the Presiding Officer of the Senate.

I serve as President Pro Tempore of the Senate. With the resignation of Lieutenant Governor Darr, per the constitution of the State of Arkansas and the rules of the Arkansas State Senate, I will now fill the role of Presiding Officer and President of the Senate.

As President of the Senate, I will now assume a supervisory role of current employees of the Office of Lieutenant Governor, and I will rely on them to help me carry out my duties. The Lieutenant Governor’s office exists in the constitution to fulfill the duties of Governor in the event of death, resignation, or disability of our current Arkansas Governor.

In fulfilling this responsibility I will not be doing the following: I will not be signing legislation, I will not utilize the services of the Arkansas State Police, and I will not take the salary of Lieutenant Governor, or take any action unless requested by or coordinated with the Governor’s office except in extraordinary circumstances.

On Monday we will begin our fiscal session. With many important issues facing the State of Arkansas, I ask for my colleagues’ patience as we work through this issue of first impression.