The Arkansas House of Representatives passed a rules package on Thursday. Speaker Matthew Shepherd told reporters afterward, that the early days of the 94th General Assembly have been “fun and enjoyable.”

The 41-minute meeting consisted mostly of preliminary matters. The main item on the agenda was the passage of a rule bill drafted by House Speaker Mathew Shepherd, R-El Dorado. Shepherd said he worked closely with the parliamentarian in drafting the package, which contained a few small changes from the one used in the 93rd General Assembly.

Perhaps the most substantial change governs how bills are scheduled in committee. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers were required to ask a chair to schedule their bills in committee. Now, the legislature is reverting to the original system where proposed bills are put straight on a committee’s agenda without the chair first having to schedule it.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-01-12/rules-package-approved-by-arkansas-house-of-representatives