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Legislature to return early to retool capital projects funding Saturday, Apr 21, 2007 By Rob Moritz Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - The Legislature will return April 30 to retool a half-dozen capital improvement bills vetoed by Gov. Mike Beebe, legislative leaders announced Friday. Lawmakers still intend to adjourn the regular session May 1 as planned, House Speaker Benny Petrus, D-Stuttgart, and Senate President Pro Tem Jack Critcher, D-Batesville, said. After lawmakers recessed their 86-day regular session April 3, Beebe vetoed six bills appropriating money from the General Improvement Fund to specific projects. The governor said they were earmarked for local or special projects, a practice the state Supreme Court deemed unconstitutional under Amendment 14 in a ruling last year. Legislative leaders plan to rewrite the appropriations, assigning the funding to state agencies or commissions for distribution, within House Bill 2430 by Rep. Will Bond, D-Jacksonville. The bill is to be passed in both chambers and sent to the governor. "This just goes to show you what can do when you've got a governor you can work with," Petrus said Friday. Beebe said Friday he was happy to work with lawmakers to get GIF proposals to where they were constitutional. However, he said he told the House and Senate leaders there are no guarantees the new versions would be fully funded by the agencies or commissions to which they will be assigned. "Most of the projects are very worthy and they will have the same chance ... as the rest of the bills that are directed to that state agency," the governor said. "They will run the risk of being funded or not being funded." The rewritten GIF appropriations to be considered when the Legislature reconvenes are: -$100,000 to the Department of Health and Human Services' Division of developmental disabilities Services for grants to community programs for developmentally disabled children and adults. -$425,429 to the state Department of Economic Development for grants and aid. -$200,000 to Ozarka College for construction and improvements at the Mountain View and Melbourne campuses. -$25,000 to the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission for grants and aid. -$10,000 to the Department of Rural Services for grants and state assistance to fire departments. -$20,000 to the Department of Workforce Education for Northwest and Crowley's Ridge Technical Institutes and Riverside Vocational Technical School for construction, maintenance, facility improvements and new equipment. Beebe also vetoed two non-GIF bills after the session, but neither will be addressed when the Legislature returns, leaders said. |
