This week, members elected to the 93rd General Assembly convened in the House chamber. The purpose of the organizational meeting was to determine seniority, select seats in the chamber, and select committees.

The vast majority of bills introduced during the session are assigned to a standing committee. We have posted the tentative standing committee assignments and the assignments for the Joint Budget Committee, the Joint Auditing Committee, and Arkansas Legislative Council at www.arkansashouse.org.

The House Speaker will announce the chairs and vice-chairs of committees on the first day of the session.

Upon swearing-in, the 93rd General Assembly will consist of 24 women and 76 men in the Arkansas House of Representatives. In addition, the House will have 22 Democrats and 78 Republicans.

House members are elected to serve two-year terms. Each member represents approximately 30,000 Arkansans.

Next year, there will 16 members serving their first full term. This includes a few members who were elected to the 92nd General Assembly in special elections after the 2019 Regular Session. New members will be preparing for the upcoming session during the Legislative Institute held the week of December 7.

The longest-serving members will be serving their 6th term next year.

This session will be unlike any other. For added safety during the health emergency, we have installed plexiglass partitions around members' desks in the chamber. House and Senate leaders continue to work together to make adjustments to committee rooms and schedules to ensure that members, staff, and the public can continue to proceed in a safe environment.

We will be updating you on any changes as we proceed. The process will continue to be transparent. All meetings will be live-streamed and recorded.

So far, 20 bills have been filed in the House, and nine bills have been filed in the Senate. We have posted a link to recently filed legislation on our website. It is expected that members will ultimately be voting on more than 1,000 pieces of legislation addressing everything from taxes to congressional redistricting.

The 2021 Regular Session begins on January 11. We will continue to keep you updated.