SB292 passes Senate, includes help for Fayetteville, Texarkana Events

Sen. Sue Madison carried SB292 through the Senate and received a unanimous supportive vote. It has now been referred to the House Transportation Committee. Existing law prohibits out of state auto and motorcycle dealers from exhibiting their stock in Arkansas without a dealer's license. This bill would relax this requirement for special events if the dealer meets certain requirmeents and would clarify the Arkansas Motor Vehicle Comission's ability to enter into reciprocity agreements with other states.

This bill basically provides assistance for two Arkansas events: Bikes, Blues & BBQ in Fayetteville, and the Four State Fair & Rodeo in Texarkana, which is held on the Arkansas-side of town. Both of these events are heavily supported and financed by various dealers both in and out of state. Bikes, Blues, and BBQ has grown into a nationally-recognized event with an annual attendance of 350,000. As far as the Four States Fair, since all new car dealers in Texarkana are located on the Texas-side, existing law would eventually cause the Fair to be moved back over to the Texas-side where dealers could exhibit vehicles, causing a significant negative economic impact to our side of town during Fair week.