The Arkansas State Senate is the upper branch of the

Arkansas General Assembly The General Assembly of Arkansas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house Arkansas Senate with 35 members, and the lower Arkansas House of Representatives with 10 ...

. The Senate consists of 35 members, each representing a district with about 83,000 people. Service in the state legislature is part-time, and many state senators have full-time jobs during the rest of the year. During the current term, the Senate contains twenty-seven Republicans, seven Democrats, and one

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

History

The Arkansas Senate was created and re-created by the Arkansas Constitution ratified on January 30, 1836. It is now governed by the fifth and current constitution of Arkansas adopted in 1874.Arkansas General Assembly
Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture (accessed April 28, 2013) During the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

, the federal government passed the Reconstruction Acts and enfranchised African Americans. Many African Americans served in the Arkansas House and a smaller number in the Ariansas Senate (

African-American officeholders during and following the Reconstruction era More than 1,500 African American officeholders served during the Reconstruction era (1865–1877) after passage of the Reconstruction Acts in 1867 and 1868 as well as in the years after Reconstruction before white supremacy, disenfranchisement, ...

) until Democrats reasserted

white supremacy White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White ...

and barred them from voting and holding office as was done across the American south. In 1947, the Arkansas Legislative Council committee was created to collect data for legislators and oversee the Bureau of Legislative Research, which is composed of professional, nonpartisan staff to aid in the legislative process. The committee consists of 36 legislators, 16 of which are state senators. In 1964, Dorathy M. Allen became the first woman elected to the Arkansas Senate. During her time in office, she was the only female in the Arkansas Senate. Legislators met biennially until a 2008 ballot initiative created annual legislative sessions. In 1992, voters approved term limits of two four-year terms. In 2014, term limits were extended to 16 years cumulative in either house. In 2020, voters approved a constitutional amendment changing terms limits to 12 consecutive years with the opportunity to return after a 4 year break. This change only effects legislators elected after the November 2020 elections. Legislators elected in the November 2020 elections or earlier can serve 16 years consecutively or non-consecutively and return once 4 years have passed from their last term expiring.

Powers and process

Arkansas state senators are responsible for making and amending the laws of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

in collaboration with the

Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the ...

and the governor. Senators begin the legislative process by submitting bill requests to the staff of the Bureau of Legislative Research that drafts a bill to conform to the author's intent. Bills are then filed with the Secretary of the Arkansas Senate or an assistant secretary of the Arkansas Senate.2013 Senate Rules
Arkansas Senate (accessed April 27, 2013) The legislative process during the legislative session mirrors that of other state legislatures in the United States. Bills are introduced on First Reading and assigned to a committee, vetted by the committee, undergo Second and Third Readings on the floor of the Senate, go to the opposite house of the legislature, and return or go directly to the governor. The governor has veto power, but two-thirds of the membership of both houses of the legislature can override that veto. State senators are also responsible for approving the governor's appointments and 16 members of the Arkansas Senate serve on the Arkansas Legislative Council and the Joint Auditing Committee. The Arkansas Legislative Council oversees the Bureau of Legislative Research, which provides professional support services for legislators.Arkansas Legislative Council
Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture (accessed April 28, 2013) It also acts as an organizing committee and members on the council exert a greater degree of influence over the legislative process and outcome.

Terms and qualifications

The senators are usually elected for four-year terms. After the U.S. Census every ten years, all Senate districts are redrawn to ensure that they each have approximately the same number of constituents. After redistricting, every senate position appears on the ballot in the next election. Following this, senators draw lots, and 18 are allotted a two-year term while 17 receive a four-year term. This staggers elections so that only half the body is up for re-election every two years. Two-year terms drawn by a senator after reapportionment do not count against a senator's service under the term limits amendment, which limits Arkansas state senators to two terms of four years. A senator who draws a two-year term can serve for 10 or even 12 years, depending on when they were elected. :

Arkansas Constitution The Constitution of Arkansas is the primary organizing law for the U.S. state of Arkansas delineating the duties, powers, structures, and functions of the state government. Arkansas' original constitution was adopted at a constitutional con ...

– Article 5. Legislative Department. § 3. Senate. ::The Senate shall consist of members to be chosen every four years, by the qualified electors of the several districts. At the first session of the Senate, the Senators shall divide themselves into two classes, by lot, and the first class shall hold their places for two years only, after which all shall be elected for four years. They are also limited to serving no more than two four-year terms. :

– Amendment 73. Arkansas Term Limitation Amendment. § 2(b). Legislative Branch. ::The Arkansas Senate shall consist of members to be chosen every four years by the qualified electors of the several districts. No member of the Arkansas Senate may serve more than two such four-year terms.

Current composition

Organization

The President of the Senate is the presiding officer of the Arkansas Senate, but the President Pro Tempore is the presiding officer in the absence of the Senate president. In practice, the President Pro Tempore generally serves as the presiding officer. Other Senate leadership positions include

Majority leader In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.

Whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally ...

and minority party positions. Committee assignments are determined by seniority, according to the rules of the Senate.

Officers

Floor Leaders

Committees

Current committees include: *Agriculture, Forestry & Economic Development **Senate Small Business & Economic Development **Senate Forestry & Natural Resources *Ar Legislative Council *Children And Youth Committee **Senate Children & Youth Subcommittee *City, County & Local Affairs Committee *Education Committee **Public School Employee Health Insurance Subcommittee **Ar Comprehensive School Improvement Plans *Insurance & Commerce **Senate Financial Institutions Subcommittee *Judiciary Committee **Senate Health Services Subcom. (Synthetic Marijuana-K2) **Senate Court And Civil Law Subcommittee **Senate Correction, Criminal Law & Child Support Subcom. *Public Health - Senate Subcommittee On Minority Health *Public Health - Senate Substance Abuse Treatment Services Subcommittee *Public Health, Welfare And Labor Committee **Senate Labor & Environment Subcommittee **Senate Human Services Subcommittee **Senate Health Services *Revenue & Tax **Senate Subcommittee On Economic And Tax Policy **Senate Sales, Use, Misc. Taxes & Exepmtions Sub. *Senate Biennial Institute *Senate Efficiency *Senate Rules, Resolutions & Memorials **Winthrop Rockefeller Memorial Subcommittee *State Agencies & Govt'L Affairs **Senate Election Laws Subcommittee **State Agencies & Gov'T Affairs - Senate Constitutional Issues Subcommittee *State Agencies & Govt'L Affairs - Senate Sub. On Cosmetology Board Rules *Transportation, Technology & Legislative Affairs **Senate Waterways & Aeronautics Subcommittee **Senate Motor Vehicle & Highways Subcommittee

Current Senators

Past composition of the Senate

References

External links

* * {{Coord, 34.7467387, -92.2892220, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark_region:US-AR Sen Sen State upper houses in the United States