John Burris: Assessing The Special Session Call

A special session looms. What will be addressed is yet to be announced, except for the main purpose, which in summary is for the state to spend tens of millions of dollars to incentivize the production of military equipment in south Arkansas.

There’s no word yet if this has prompted Texas Governor Greg Abbott to deploy the National Guard to his northeastern border as well. Let’s hope not, for sanity’s sake.

Other issues will likely make the special session call. Conventional wisdom is only bills that are guaranteed to pass will be included. That was certainly Gov. Beebe’s cautious nature. Since Gov. Hutchinson has shown no lack of cautiousness thus far, history will be repeated.

So what are the other issues?

There’s a possible restructuring of Arkansas’s primary election dates. The goal is to create an “SEC Presidential Primary” of southern states, thereby hoping to increase the role of our small state in the Presidential electoral process.

Some legislators have insisted that if the Presidential primary date is moved, the primary for all other offices be moved with it. They believe the larger the voter turnout, the better the outcome. Arkansas before Presidential and Republican Party politics, in other words.

Others have also argued against spending the additional two million dollars it would cost to hold a separate primary for just the Presidential race. That’s the right position.

However, moving the primary for legislative offices to say, March, requires the annual fiscal session to be moved to later in the year, perhaps April. That doesn’t leave a lot of time for renewal of appropriations that expire every July 1st. If the Legislature ever finds itself voting on something contentious, a crunched timeline makes it more complicated.

This move could also expedite the filing period for all offices, even as early as a month of the odd year pre-dating the election year. Candidate-recruiters better get busy, as filing for office could begin in mere months. That’s probably good for incumbents, which is no doubt a point that has been made.

It’s much restructuring for various reasons and interests. It may or not make the call.

Also to be potentially included is the combination of some state agencies. Senator Eddie Joe Williams has long advocated for this in concept, but details have yet to emerge as to what the specific proposal is today.

It’s all worthy enough in principle, and Sen. Williams no doubt believes in the honorable goals of efficiency and savings. There are duplications in state government, as well as offices and things we can live without.

It is a fine line to walk, though, because there is a case to be made for smaller and divided being the more efficient model, rather than larger and combined. Look no further than the Department of Human Services for an example. It’s hard to hold Director John Selig too responsible. He’s just managing the managers. It’s the most inefficient agency we have. It should be divided up, not used as a standard.

Regardless, the worthy goal of government efficiency can intersect with the political goal of perceived government efficiency. For that reason, some combination of several state agencies is possible to make the governor’s call.

But back to the main issue, which is the government’s assistance in financing a dedicated “super project” that will construct military-related equipment in south-central Arkansas.

Most believe this initiative will pass quite easily, which is probably right. It might be a worthy project. The details have not fully been shared, meaning we don’t yet know how much the state will be asked to spend.

Many who will vote for this corporate assistance will be the same ones who were elected on the rhetoric of opposing so-called welfare for people that increases government spending. In other words, they’re willing to tell individuals to get their hands out of the government’s pockets, but not tell big corporations to do the same.

Government dollars are helpful to businesses, but never to humans, I guess.

Liberals can be no better, bemoaning corporate welfare while righteously defending the status quo on things like a “Farm Bill,” which long ago became less about the farmer and more about guaranteed subsidies for big business and big retailers.

I don’t know what’s right or wrong. I just know what’s ironic about principles and when they are applied. As a member of the House of Representatives, I was no different.

So in some ways, a special session won’t really be that special at all. The topics change, but not much else.