Credit Arkansas Senate
The Arkansas Senate failed to pass appropriations for the Arkansas Department of Commerce s 2021-2022 fiscal year on Monday. Members of the Senate voted 20-8 with five members not voting, which was ultimately not enough to pass Senate Bill 132.
In speaking against the bill, Sen. Trent Garner, R-El Dorado, said he could not vote for any appropriation that would fund and pay for the head of the Department of Commerce, Sec. Mike Preston. I’ve lost confidence in his ability to lead that critical department, Garner said. We look over the last year, we look at how contracts went to out-of-state businesses like Carvana for economic development, putting our small businesses here in Arkansas at a competitive disadvantage. We look at how he has authorized $15 million dollars for grants during the height of the pandemic without approval from this body.
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Governor gives Little Rock indication local control to return soon; Senate committee rejects legislative help
April 14, 20215:53 pm
NO GO: Johnny Key, with Sen. Elliott, says Little Rock can’t leave state control until it demonstrates a fiscal fix. A problem the state created.
A Senate committee hearing today revealed news about the return of local control of the Little Rock School District, but the committee refused legislative assistance.
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The discussion was on SB 314 by Sen. Joyce Elliott to return local control to districts after they’ve been under state control for five years, as the law stipulated. Little Rock remains under state control after more than six years. It was taken over in January 2015 over poor test scores in a handful of the district’s four dozen schools.