NWAOnline’s Legislative Coverage

Anti-consolidation lawmakers held up the budget for the state Education Department, protesting the defeat of HB2263 by Rep. Buddy Lovell, D-Marked Tree.

“I was killed in the Senate” by state Education Department and attorney general’s office testimony, Lovell told the committee. His bill had passed the House and failed by a 5 to 2 vote to get through the Senate Education Committee. Sen. Jimmy Jeffress, D-Crossett, the Senate Ed chairman, is also a budget committee member. He called Lovell’s decision to force a fight in the budget committee after losing in Senate Ed “petty.”

“We’re on the verge of setting a really, really bad precedent here of failing to pass a bill and then reopening the debate in budget,” said Rep. Davide Rainey, D-Dumas.

Sen. Paul Miller, D-Melbourne, was one of the staunchest opponents of the bill allowing school districts to be consolidated if their enrollment fell below 350 students when that standard was passed in 2004. However, districts he represents “played by the rules” after the law was passed. “We’re voting to change the rules after other schools have played by them,” Miller said.

Joint Budget will meet again this afternoon upon adjournment of both chambers.

Lovell’s bill would make it more difficult for some districts to be consolidated. The state attorney general’s office warned the Budget Committee that any such change needs to be based on a study to comply with a state Supreme Court ruling on education reforms passed in 2003 and 2004.

UPDATE: House Speaker Robbie Wills, D-Conway, says the Budget Committee could pass the budget as late as tomorrow and the Legislature would still have enough time to finish its business and adjourn Thursday. Also, Lovell will get another chance to present his bill in Senate Ed tomorrow.

Wills left it at that, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up for a turnaround in that 5-2 committee vote if I lived in Weiner.