The 2020 Fiscal Session is scheduled to begin April 8 at noon.
The COVID-19 crisis will have an impact on the proposed budget as well as our meeting schedules.
The Department of Finance and Administration released a revised revenue forecast on April 2. The revision was necessary because of an economic recession predicted as a result from business slowdown and negative labor markets.
The forecast now reflects $5.6 billion in net available revenue for FY 2021. This indicates a decrease of $205.9 million from the prior forecast released in January.
The schedule for meetings will be posted on our website. For precautionary measures due to COVID-19, the General Assembly is not expected to meet as long as in previous Fiscal Sessions.
By law, Fiscal Sessions cannot extend longer than 30 days without a ¾ vote from both chambers. The longest it can be extended is an additional 15 days.
During Fiscal Sessions, the legislature can only address the budget and appropriation bills. In order for non-appropriation legislation to be introduced, a resolution substantially describing the bill must first be approved by a 2/3 vote in both chambers.
The House will convene at the Jack T. Stephens Center at the University of Arkansas Little Rock. We convened at this venue for the recent special session as it provides enough space for the recommended social distancing guidelines.
Arkansas PBS will stream the House meetings. You can find the links for those live-streams as well as the Senate meetings and Joint Budget Committee meetings on our website www.arkansashouse.org.
As we prepare to address the state budget in this unprecedented time, we will continue to update and help constituents with needed assistance through this crisis.