24-552: Minority The Arkansas State Senate is the upper branch of the Arkansas General Assembly . 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-nine Republicans and six Democrats . The Arkansas Senate
48-638: A "call" for a special session during the interims between regular sessions. The General Assembly meets at the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock . The General Assembly of Arkansas is authorized by the Arkansas Constitution , which is the state's fifth constitution. The first constitution was ratified on January 30, 1836, and the current constitution was adopted in 1874. The constitution has also been amended throughout
72-510: A constitutional amendment changing terms limits to 12 consecutive years with the opportunity to return after a 4-year break. This change only affects 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. Arkansas state senators are responsible for making and amending
96-406: A referendum removing the lifetime limit of 16 years in the legislature and switching to 12 consecutive years, with the option to return after a four-year break. 34°44′48″N 92°17′21″W / 34.7467387°N 92.2892220°W / 34.7467387; -92.2892220 Majority leader In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system ),
120-538: 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. They are also limited to serving no more than two four-year terms. The President of
144-660: The United States Senate , the current majority leader is Chuck Schumer (D-NY). John Thune (R-SD) is expected to become the Majority Leader when the 119th Congress is sworn in on January 3rd, 2025. In the House of Representatives the majority leader's presence and power often depends on the session. In some sessions, the majority leader takes precedence over the speaker as House leader and legislative party leader either by force (which usually occurs when
168-466: The lower Arkansas House of Representatives with 100 members. All 135 representatives and state senators represent an equal number of constituent districts. The General Assembly convenes on the second Monday of every year. In odd-numbered years it may consider any bill or resolution; in even-numbered years it may only consider appropriations bills. A session lasts for 60 days unless the legislature votes to extend it. The governor of Arkansas can issue
192-521: The majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body. In the federal Congress of the United States , the roles of the House majority leader and the Senate majority leader differ slightly. At the state level, the majority leader of a given state legislative chamber usually performs a similar role to that of their federal counterpart. In the Senate , the vice president of
216-759: The Arkansas Senate ( African-American officeholders during and following the Reconstruction era ) until Democrats reasserted white supremacy 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
240-484: 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 , Whip and minority party positions. Committee assignments are determined by seniority, according to the rules of
264-407: The Senate. Current committees include: 34°44′48″N 92°17′21″W / 34.7467387°N 92.2892220°W / 34.7467387; -92.2892220 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
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#1732772574886288-419: The United States is officially the president of the Senate and the president pro tempore serves as the president of the Senate in the absence of the vice president. However, in reality, the vice president seldom enters the Senate, let alone directly presides over the chamber, unless a tied vote is expected , and the president pro tempore has become a ceremonial role deprived of any leadership ability. Thus,
312-436: The United States. Bills undergo committee review and three readings on the floor of each house of the legislature. The governor has veto power, but a simple majority of both houses of the legislature can override that veto. Legislators also select 20 state representatives and 16 state senators to serve on the Arkansas Legislative Council, which oversees the Bureau of Legislative Research and acts as an organizing committee for
336-437: The council exert a greater degree of influence over the legislative process and outcome. 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
360-538: The laws of Arkansas in collaboration with the Arkansas House of Representatives 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. The legislative process during
384-515: 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 woman 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
408-408: 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
432-505: 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. It also acts as an organizing committee and members of
456-461: The legislature. Amendment 73 of the Arkansas Constitution , approved by voters in the 1992 state general elections, set term limits for representatives and senators. representatives were limited to three two-year terms (six years); senators were limited to two four-year terms (eight years). Amendment 73 also set term limits for U.S. senators and representatives, but this part of the Amendment
480-403: The majority leader is seen as the de facto leader of the Senate, especially in modern times, and thus, in accordance with Senate rules, the presiding officer of the day gives the majority leader priority in obtaining recognition to speak on the floor of the Senate and they determine which bills get voted on. The majority leader is seen as the chief spokesperson for their party in the Senate. In
504-467: The speaker of the House is unpopular) or because the speaker of the House voluntarily surrenders power to the majority leader. In most sessions, the speaker of the House takes precedence as house leader and party leader, with the majority leader being irrelevant and largely powerless outside the fact they might be speaker of the House one day. Except, of course, for the fact that the majority leader (as well as
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#1732772574886528-490: The state's history since 1874. Originally, legislators met biennially, but today meet annually. In 1922, Frances Hunt became the first woman elected to a seat in the General Assembly when she was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives . The General Assembly of Arkansas is responsible making and amending the laws of Arkansas . The legislative process is similar to that of other state legislatures in
552-746: 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. During the Reconstruction era after the American Civil War , the federal government passed the Reconstruction Acts and enfranchised African Americans. Many African Americans served in the Arkansas House and a smaller number in
576-504: Was found unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton . As Section 4 of the Amendment included a severability clause, the remainder of the amendment remained in force. This was replaced to a large extent by Amendment 94 in 2014, which extended the total years that could be served to 16 in any combination of House and Senate seats. The law was changed again in 2020 by
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