Why Should I oppose Amendment 2?

•        Annual Legislative Sessions are an unnecessary growth of government.  The legislature has managed the state’s business in a biennial system for more than 100 years. This is the first step toward a full time legislature. 

•        Annual Legislative Sessions are costly to Arkansas taxpayers.  Many state legislatures meet well into the year each year incurring significant expenses.  The state has many budgetary needs that could be better served with the funds consumed by a fiscal session.  Besides the additional administrative, per diem and regular salary costs that a new session would require, a requested raise for legislators can be expected.  This raise can even be justified considering the additional time commitment we will be asking our elected officials to make. 

•        Annual Legislative Sessions hinder legislators with full time jobs.  Although legislative committees meet frequently between biennial sessions, they are not required to meet consecutively for 30 days in the Capitol.  For those with full time jobs, an additional session could be a burden and further reduce the number of individuals who are willing and able to serve.  The current system gives the state access to a broader range of individuals with a diversity of professions. 

•        Annual Legislative Sessions limit the leadership of legislators in their home districts. Arkansas truly has a citizen legislature.  Legislators can currently manage businesses and serve in leadership roles in their communities because they are only called upon to be in the Capitol every other year and for interim meetings. Requiring legislators to meet annually would drastically cut the amount of local service they currently provide.

•        Annual Legislative Sessions will likely NOT operate as intended. The proposed amendment delegates that additional "fiscal sessions" be held in alternating years with general sessions. However, lawmakers will be given the opportunity to expand the new “fiscal session” to include non-budget items.  Any topic can be added for consideration to the budget session by a two-thirds vote of the legislature.  This creates an optimal environment for special interest groups.  By narrowing the focus of the legislature to select issues, special interest groups could more easily pass excessive legislation which would not normally be considered in the general session.

•        Annual Legislative Sessions breed temptation to raise additional revenues in budget shortfall years.  Meeting annually would allow the legislature to more easily and perhaps more readily isolate revenue streams for increase. In years when the revenues fail to meet projections, the legislature will be pressed to RAISE TAXES to fund the budget.