On campus

I just got through touring the Pryor Center for Oral History, visited with Chancellor David Gearhart, and visited two of the new facilities on campus. I'm now headed over to Eureka Springs to sit on a legislative panel and will be back on campus at 3:30 this afternoon.

Update: Rep. Rick Green passes along this link reporting that there are possible cases of swine flu in Benton County. Update II: All cases are negative.

Arkansas Supreme Court takes up tort reform

This morning, the Arkansas Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional the phantom defendant provision and the billed v. paid provision of the tort reform act. It is a significant decision that heavily impacts the 2003 Civil Justice Reform Act. The opinion was written by Associate Justice Paul Danielson.

Political Animals Club of Northwest Arkansas

I'm here at the Fayetteville Clarion as the Political Animals Club of Northwest Arkansas wraps up its morning program, where Sen. Gil Baker and Rep. Bruce Maloch provided a legislative update and inside analysis on the 2009 legislative session. Both serve as co-chairs of the Joint Budget Committee, so they both provided some inside perspectives on the development of this balanced budget and a few particulars of the 2009 General Improvement Fund distribution. Sen. Baker also provided an articulate response to a question on Sen. Arlen Specter's departure from the Republican Party. I'm paraphrasing here, but he believes that all perspectives are needed in Washington and that neither Democrats nor Republicans should have total control over the government. I'm now going to join them as we tour the David & Barbara Pryor Center for Oral & Visual History for a briefing with Richard Hudson.

State Health Department: No swine flu in 65 samples

The Associated Press reports that 65 samples remitted from doctors worried their patients suffered from swine flu have all tested negative for the virus. Arkansas health experts do expect that to change. The Texarkana Gazette and KTBS both report that while no confirmed reports of the virus exist on either side of the state line in the city, local healthcare officials are stepping up surveillance of swine flu.

Legislative twittering: Can you top 1,334 followers?

The Thicket has searched twitter.com for the most active state legislators across the country, and the most active seems to be Sen. Dan Patrick of Texas, who has 1,334 followers. Want to follow Arkansas legislators on the social networking site? Here are links with the number of followers, with the acknowledgment that many of these legislators have either just joined or use the site primarily to follow others:

Rep. Duncan Baird (R-Lowell) (178 followers)
Rep. Davy Carter (R-Cabot) (29 followers)
Rep. Jonathan Dismang (R-Beebe) (34 followers)
Rep. Steve Harrelson (D-Texarkana) (293 followers)
Sen. Johnny Key (R-Mountain Home) (22 followers)
Rep. Mark Martin (R-Prairie Grove) (164 followers)
Rep. Linda Tyler (D-Conway) (12 followers)
Speaker Robbie Wills (D-Conway) (315 followers)
Rep. Jon Woods (R-Springdale) (62 followers)

Even Attorney General Dustin McDaniel (292 followers) is tweeting. At this point, Facebook is the much more preferred site for Arkansas legislators. Sen. Shane Broadway has well over 2,000 friends on that site, and many of the legislators listed above are more active on Facebook than Twitter. There are applications now such as twitterfeed that will update several social networking sites simulataneously.

Bound for northwest Arkansas

Now that the squall line has pushed through Texarkana, I'm headed north on 71 for Fayetteville. I've probably made this drive 100 times as a student. I'll report tomorrow from the Political Animals Club of NWA, where Rep. Bruce Maloch and Sen. Gil Baker will talk budget and politics. Afterwards, I'll visit the David & Barbara Pryor Center for Oral & Visual History for a briefing before visiting with Chancellor Dave Gearhart. I'll then run over to Eureka to sit on a legislative panel at the Inn of the Ozarks, then I'll run back over to Fayetteville to speak at Dr. Janine Parry's Arkansas Politics class. Later tomorrow afternoon, Rep. Lindsley Smith will address the UofA chapter of the Young Democrats.

Texas high school sports suspended due to swine flu

All sports competitions involving Texas high schools are suspended until May 11 due to the swine flu outbreak that has one confirmed death in Texas. This also means that any junior high and high school sports involving Arkansas schools in Texas will be suspended as well. This won't affect any spring sports involving Arkansas High, as the track, baseball, and soccer teams are moving into district and state tournaments exclusively with Arkansas teams. The AHS softball team did just play Maud, TX late last week.

Another switch to the Democratic Party

Expect an announcement on Friday of an Arkansas state legislator making the switch to the Democratic Party. The move will give House Democrats 72 members in the 100 member chamber.

Arkansas at a glance

Here is a great Arkansas report on an array of issues from our budget and economy to demographics to criminal justice, transportation, education, health, and natural resources. This document evolved from an attempt to build an FAQ document by Bureau of Legislative Research Asst. Director Richard Wilson and analysts Nell Smith and Chrissy Heider. This report presents recent Arkansas data in various public policy areas in comparison to other states and time-series trends within Arkansas -- pretty nifty. Lots of good data here.

Clinton to host campaign event for McDaniel

Former President Clinton will headline a re-election fundraiser for Attorney General Dustin McDaniel that also includes a dozen other attorneys general on the host list. The event will be held May 7 at the Peabody at 8:00 p.m. McDaniel is co-Chair of the Democratic AG's Association. Interested in attending? Call Brett Kincaid at 479-530-1122 or Robert McClarty 501-374-6000.

In addition, McDaniel has expanded his online presence to include a Facebook page, which currently includes a request for information about car warranty phone solicitations. Click here for the link.

Reflecting on the session: Number of bills sent to committees

Here are the numbers of bills sent to committee in the House and Senate for the 2009 legislative session, listed by the number of bills assigned to each committee:

Standing and select House committees: House Judiciary: 221 House Education: 188 House Public Heatlh: 168 House State Agencies: 166 House Revenue & Tax: 143 House Insurance & Commerce: 101 House Transportation: 94 House City, County & Local: 82 House Rules: 77 House Agriculture: 68 House Aging, Children & Youth: 53 House Advanced Communications: 3

Standing and select Senate committees: Senate Education: 234 Senate State Agencies: 215 Senate Judiciary: 212 Senate Public Health: 182 Senate Revenue & Tax: 113 Senate Transportation: 109 Senate Insurance & Commerce: 105 Senate City, County & Local: 83 Senate Agriculture: 69 Senate Rules & Resolutions: 1

Joint committees:
Joint Budget: 993
Joint Public Retirement: 186
Joint Energy: 11

If you're one of the few who may be interested in historical numbers, here are historical spreadsheets for the bill distribution going back to 1997 for the House and Senate.

Breaking: Specter intends to switch parties

Veteran Republican U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania intends to switch to the Democratic Party today or tomorrow, sources say. The switch would put Democrats one step closer to a 60-vote filibuster-resistant majority.

Update: Statement from Sen. Blanche Lincoln:

“Senator Specter is a highly respected colleague with whom I have had the pleasure to serve alongside in the Senate Special Committee on Aging. He has been a leading advocate for health care research funding, and I am proud to work with him in his efforts.

“Senator Specter’s party affiliation will not change his views or how he represents his constituents of Pennsylvania. I am a testament to the fact that the Democratic Party embraces a variety of viewpoints. I welcome Senator Specter to our diverse party, where I know his voice and his ideas will add to the spirited debate on issues critical to our country.”

Bank wars

With Wells Fargo's purchase of Century Bank, other locally-owned banks are becoming more scarce here in the Ark-La-Tex. Here's one local bank with a statement on the matter.

Ark-La-Tex Rail Summit

The 2009 Ark-La-Tex Rail Summit will take place down in Marshall, Texas at the end of next week. The event will take place at the beautifully restored circa 1912 Marshall Depot, which is a proud stop along Amtrak’s Texas Eagle route. It will be led by former Texas senator and Harrison County Judge Richard Anderson. I'll be in Charlotte but am sending staff to highlight our proximity to a commercial air terminal. Apparently, Texarkana is the only stop between Dallas and Little Rock on the South Central High Speed Rail Corridor that can connect directly to commercial air service (TXK Regional Airport pictured right).

The event is part of National Train Day and is one of many events taking place around the country. We'll be joining The East Texas Corridor Council, Amtrak, Harrison County (TX), the National Association of Railroad Passengers, the Marshall Depot T&P Railway Museum, and the Texas Eagle Marketing & Performance Organization in celebrating this 2nd annual National Train Day.

Differences in the Arkansas and Texas legislatures

Here's a blog post from someone who's worked with state legislatures in Little Rock and Austin. Differences? Here's an excerpt:

2. Arkansas legislators have no staff. Hell, they don’t even have their own offices! This lends itself to a true “citizen legislators” environment, but the capital city is less fun. TX is almost like Congress, with staffers hitting the political watering holes; gossiping, moving and shaking after each day of business. I think it would be more productive for AR legislators to have staff, but pros and cons I guess.

Former Bentonville Legislator Dead at 62

David C. Hausam of Bentonville, a former Arkansas House member, died at his home over the weekend. He was 62. Hausam was forced out of the House due to term limits in 2003. Here's more from KARK.

Retired Senior Volunteer Program Banquet

I attended the 36th Annual RSVP Banquet here in Texarkana yesterday, where we acknowledged the volunteer hours put in by hundreds in the RSVP and Americorps*Vista programs. Congress has appropriated funding to increase educational opportunities to those who serve the public in the amount of $5,350 over a two year period (up from $4,725). There are 75,000 volunteers in similar programs in the United States today, and the goal is to increase that to 250,000 through the educational awards.

Double the temp and chase the yellow jersey

Went on a 15 mile sprint yesterday back here at home, where the temp was double (82°) what it was in Boston (41°) earlier this week. It'll just about double again before the Hotter'n Hell 100 mile bike race in August. Spent the ride trying to keep up with David but wasn't ever able to catch him. Paid him back on this morning's 6.2 mile run, though. A big group is heading up to Conway for the Toad Suck 10K from here on Saturday.

Looking at the week ahead, I'll spend Monday through Wednesday morning in the district and will head up to northwest Arkansas Wednsday afternoon. Thursday morning, Rep. Bruce Maloch and Sen. Gil Baker will speak at the Political Animals Club of Northwest Arkansas in Fayetteville, then I'll head over to Eureka Springs to speak at a convention before heading back over to Fayetteville to speak to Janine Parry's Arkansas Politics class at the UofA. I'll drive down to to Little Rock Thursday afternoon, and we'll officially close out the 2009 legislative session on Friday. Robbie is going to be out of town, so Rep. Curren Everett will gavel us out.

Visit with Pryor

Prior to heading out for the week, Senator Pryor took some time to show Robbie and me around the Capitol, discussing issues pertinent to the state-federal relationship and giving us a personal tour of the Senate chamber -- what a guy. After hearing about the fiscal landscape in other states, I'm thankful to be in our position. Some of the states represented have bigger deficits than our total budget. Robbie and I are heading out this afternoon to come back to Arkansas -- Robbie's connecting through Memphis and I'm coming back via Newark. I'm going back to the district tomorrow and will return to Little Rock next Friday to close out the session sine die. Profiled on The Thicket The Thicket has profiled Under the Dome and Robbie's blog on its front page today. Here's a link. Finally, here are a couple of pictures of the Capitol and the Supreme Court:

Robbie's turn

My panel has concluded, and we're now beginning a session on "effective legislatures in fiscal crisis." Robbie is on the panel with Speaker Joe Hackney of North Carolina and Senator Don Balfour of Georgia. Robbie represents the only state on the panel with a budget surplus. Robbie is using a PowerPoint (click here for his PowerPoint presentation), which educates the legislators here on our unique Revenue Stabilization Act that prioritizes spending and prevents deficit spending.

It's depressing to listen to some of the other panelists talk about the services cut and the taxes raised to meet budget shortfalls in their states. Like most state governments, if you cut too deep, you're looking at reducing K-12 and other education services, since that's the primary and largest obligation of the states. Those services are cut after other essentials, such as law enforcement, highway spending, Medicaid funding, etc.

Liveblogging the NCSL Spring Forum

I'm sitting on a panel to discuss legislative technology and new media, and I've been given 15 minutes to provide a compelling argument as to why public officials should use the Internet to connect to their constituents and provide a running commentary on facing us all. Given the tight schedule, I'm going to hit the highlights and list three main points:

Immediacy
Whereas most traditional news outlets (print, tv, radio) have set times to distribute news, you can use a blog or any of the other popular social media sites to put news out there for the entire world to see as quickly as you can type it in and post it. Just in the last Arkansas legislative session, several legislators and observers used Twitter to send out news as it happened from committee rooms and from the floor of the House chamber. This allows not only those watching at home to keep up with the happenings in the Statehouse as they occur, but observers inside the Capitol only need to log on to their Blackberry to keep up with action elsewhere in the Capitol rather than trying to run from committee to committee to keep up.

And it's not just newsprint that can be used -- pictures and video can be uploaded just as quickly and easily. For example, you can take any picture and put it on the Internet within seconds:



No filters
Another benefit of putting your message out there directly to your constituents and readers is that you can say what you want without worrying how it will be interpreted in an article, column, or editorial. Sure, your audience is likely going to be much smaller than your local daily, but you can your own website to get out in front of a story. Take a story that appeared in this morning's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, for example. The newspaper published a story on the ditribution of our state's General Improvement Fund. Our Speaker of the House Robbie Wills, who runs his own great blog, posted his view hours before it appeared in print. While his readership is much smaller that the statewide circulation of the Democrat-Gazette, the political junkies do read it, and others can find Robbie's view on this particular issue if/when they use a search engine to learn more about this topic.

Transparency
Having a presence on the Internet reduces the potential criticism that can arise when your constituents aren't able to keep up with your work on their behalf, your voting record, and generally the events taking place in your office. Let's face it -- at some point, constituents are going to demand that you have some sort of online presence. An informed constituency is your friend, not your enemy. Yes, you're opening yourself up to personal attacks through comments, etc, but you're going to get that anyway. If your voters can read for themselves your reasoning behind a particular vote or position, you're more likely to win them over in the long run.

However, more than any other reason, this technology keeps you connected to your constituency -- and that's the foundation of good representation.

Bring on the 2010 legislative races -- UPDATE

Rep. Lindsley Smith (D-Fayetteville) was quoted in today's Northwest Arkansas Times as saying that Greg Leding and Bill Ramsey will be among the candidates who intend to seek her District 92 House seat in 2010. Smith (pictured right by cell phone pic leaving the chamber for the final time in the 2009 legislative session) cannot run for re-election due to term limits. Leding runs several blogs/websites and has been active in the political arena in NWA. He's employed by the Fayetteville School District. Ramsey served in the Arkansas House for 18 years and is the former president of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce.

We'll keep a close eye on formal announcements from these and other legislative candidates from around the state. Send tips to steve@steveharrelson.com. A list of term limited House and Senate members is on the jump, and there are several first and second term House members expected to announce for other legislative and constitutional offices soon. That means there'll be at least 34 open House seats and 13 open Senate seats up for grabs. There will also be other incumbents challenged, although no formal announcements have been made yet.

Thursday in DC

Robbie and I both have committees that convene pretty early, but the highlight of the day will be lunch in the Senate dining room with Mark Pryor thanks to Robbie's handiwork with Pryor Chief of Staff Bob Russell. Today's agenda includes meetings on some pretty specific items, some of which were taken up in the 87th Arkansas General Assembly, including the collection of 911 revenue from cell phones.

Other topics include state efforts to retain teachers, early voting systems in model states, using IT to save money in tough budget times, and a report on state fiscal conditions in the 50 states.

Update: Good to see the sun up before 6:00. This is when it finally starts to feel like summer. We knocked out about five miles or so at dawn and are in meetings now. Here are a few pictures.

Texarkana Gazette follows up on the Boston Marathon

Today's Texarkana Gazette follows up on Monday's Boston Marathon with an article on the race. Speaking of the marathon, I'm about to head out for a run with Robbie and survey the damage from the race. Nothing's sore, so it ought to be a good run. We're staying up in Adams Morgan in NW DC, and we'll run about a mile to the south to the White House, then east along the National Mall to the Capitol and back.

Finish line at Boston

NCSL Spring Forum in Washington

I'm in Washington for the Spring Forum of the National Conference of State Legislatures. I serve on the Redistricting and Elections Committee and will also sit on a Friday panel on legislative technology and new social media -- I'll live blog that. Last year, Chris Kelly of Facebook was on the panel with me. The topics today focus on transportation and public-private partnerships. Speaking of transportation, the City of Little Rock will host the National Multi-Modal Transportation Symposium June 17-19, and I'll be speaking at that.

I'm rooming with Robbie this week, who's speaking at an event in Conway at lunch and won't arrive here in DC until later tonight.

Aboard the nation's only high speed train -- UPDATE

I'm getting ready to board the Acela Express here in Boston, which is the nation's only existing high speed train. The train, which travels at speeds of up to 150 mph, takes advantage of a tilting design that allows the train to travel at higher speeds on the sharply curved Northeast Corridor without disturbing passengers. I'll make quick stops at Penn Station in Manhattan and in Philadelphia before arriving at Union Station in Washington this afternoon.

Update (Providence, RI): I'm impressed with the train. The trains are equipped with wireless internet service, and the cafeteria car behind me is better than expected. Here's a picture:



Update: Philadelphia:



We've made stops in Providence, New Haven, Stamford, NYC, Newark, Philly, Wilmington, and Baltimore is the last stop before Washington. Update: Made it here, and while checking in to my room, Steny Hoyer, the House Majority Leader, just strolled through to the conference room. The National Conference of State Legislatures Spring Forum begins at 7:00 a.m. in the morning.

Live on KARK at 7:10 tonight to discuss the marathon

I'll appear on KARK by phone tonight to discuss the Boston Marathon and the Arkansans who participated. The top Arkansan was John Pankey of Hot Springs, who finished with a 2:48 (also the only sub-3 hour Arkansan). 27 Arkansans finished -- we had fewer finishers than any other state except South Dakota and Wyoming (there were more runners from Belgium and Hong Kong than Arkansas). I did run into Jill Hudson of Benton in Athlete's Village prior to the race this morning. Here's more from KARK (with video).

Today's Boston Marathon: 3:47:21

I'll take it. I'm pleased with my time, even though there was a pretty stout headwind for the entire race. The average time was a 3:49, so I'm glad to just be able to hang in with this crowd and beat the average time. The hills were manageable but are tough just because of where they are on the course. From everything I heard about Heartbreak Hill (mile 20.5), I was expecting to turn a corner and see Mt. Everest. It was long and daunting, and I'm glad I saved enough energy to get through it, but it wasn't too terribly steep. From the top of that hill, the crowd was 20 deep on both sides of the street for the rest of the race. Boston is pretty smart -- they scheduled a Red Sox home game for 11:00 a.m. so that the game would end and the crowd would spill out of Fenway right onto the course for the marathon finish.

I've always said that there are too many marathons out there to experience to run the same one twice, but this one is obviously the exception. I wore a red Arkansas t-shirt, so that drew lots of attention from the crowds that lined the street from the start to the finish. "Go Hags!" I did mention, didn't I, that I love the Boston accent? Took me a while to realize they were cheering for the Razorbacks.

We hit Wellesley at the halfway point, and you could hear the female students from a quarter mile. The Boston College students were at mile 16 and were a little rowdier. After the hills in Newton, the course is downhill for a mile or so until we were downtown. Once you turn left on Boylston, there's a quarter mile to the finish, and the street is lined with full bleachers on both sides -- automatic adrenaline rush! Post-race, most runners are looking for a banana or bagel. I'm looking for the nearest chili dog. I'll check in later.

Live blogging the Boston Marathon

I'm on my way to Hopkinton, Mass. to the starting line of today's race. The Boston Marathon is a point-to-point race, and it'll finish on Boylston Street in downtown Boston. It's 41° now with a windchill of 35°. The wind's not too bad now, but they're calling for a headwind off the Atlantic from 15-25 mph by the time the race starts.

I'll try and post a few pictures from the race (or at least from the start and from the top of Heartbreak Hill). You can track my progress here (my bib no. is 27178) and follow the leaderboard here. Live coverage of the race is here. Update: Here I am at mile 26 (pictured right).

Starting line



Finish line

Texas House passes $178.4 billion budget

Texas is one of the few states that, like Arkansas, has enjoyed a budget surplus during these difficult economic times. The Texas House passed their biennial budget of $178.4 billion, which includes $200 million for their portion of the South Central High Speed Rail Corridor, an expansion of electric-bill discounts for the poor, and a 25% increase of scholarships for college students from households making under $50,000. Unlike Arkansas, the Texas legislature is prohibited by the Constitution for meeting for more than 140 days in its regular session every other year. Here's more from the Dallas Morning News.

Boston Marathon Expo

Lots of elite runners up here. Spent most of today picking through the Boston Marathon merchandise, trying out new energy bars, and visiting with reps from different marathons. If I can get through this one okay, I think my next race will be the Pikes Peak Marathon in August. Can't look ahead, though -- I have my work cut out for me on Monday. Looks like there'll be headwinds out of the east at 15 with a temp of 40.

Boston: Carboloading at Fenway

Here's the real reason behind running -- getting to load up on carbs on the days ahead of the big race. I normally eat very few carbs in the week leading up to a marathon then switch to 100% carbs about two days before, giving me a pretty good jolt of energy for a few days. I watched the Sox overcome of 7-0 deficit to beat the Orioles 10-8 last night at Fenway and got a dog at the game.

Next to the Irish, my favorite accent has to be the Boston accent. After checking in yesterday, I hopped in the cab and told the driver to take me to Fenway. "Where ya from?" he asked. "Arkansas," I told him. "Ouakansa! Been to the pak before, have yas?" I could listen to this guy talk all day.

I'm headed over to pick up my race packet and bib and spend some time at the expo this morning and afternoon. Every vendor in the running industry will be at this expo, so I'll probably come back to the hotel with plenty of things I don't need. The marathon starts at 10:30 Monday morning out in Hopkinton and finishes on Boylston Street in downtown Boston.

High speed rail in Arkansas

With President Obama's announcement yesterday of the broad and ambitious plan to make high speed rail a viable and practical option of travel, some Arkansans are finally seeing how far we lag behind other states in having a feasible rail plan here in the state. I secured $100K for a feasibility study in the just-ended legislative session for our portion of the South Central High Speed Rail Corridor, one of ten regional corridors that will eventually be linked togehter to provide a nationwide network of high speed rail travel in the United States. The last thing we want is for Arkansas to be bypassed in this project that will help ease congestion from our interstate highway system and provide riders with an attractive and economical option of travel. Here's more from KARK (with video).

I'm flying out to Boston this morning and will board the nation's only existing high speed train from Boston to Wasington DC early next week.

Here are a few quick facts:
• Speed: Using the existing rail bed, trains on this corridor could travel 80-110 MPH under the more economical version
• Little Rock to Dallas: About a three hour trip with no airport waiting
• Cost: Under the more economical version, about $1.3 million per mile (compared to $12-$14 million/mile for interstate highways); The more expensive Mag Lev version costs about $20-$45 million per mile but travels close to 180 mph.
• Benefits: 30% less emissions, takes cars and trucks off the interstate, no high gas prices.

Here I am at a recent rail summit in Marshall, Texas pictured former Texas state Senator and current Harrison County Judge Richard Anderson (center) and Shreveport City Councilman Calvin Lester -- both huge advocates for high speed rail in the Ark-La-Tex. Click the video above for footage of a high speed train i rode in Taiwan to show you that this form of travel won't be like traveling the slowpoke trains of old.

Update: Here's the Democrat-Gazette's article on the President's announcement.

Voting similarities

Thanks to the folks at Arkansas Legislative Digest, I now have a list of the House members with whom I voted most closely in the 87th General Assembly. I voted 97% of the time with Rep. Bubba Powers (D-Hope), who represents a district in a county adjacent to me. Bubba has also been my seatmate for the last two sessions. I voted with Rep. Jim House (D-Fayetteville) 95% of the time. The Republican with whom I voted most closely was Rep. Ann Clemmer (93% of the time).

I voted least closely with Rep. Bryan King, the minority leader. We voted the same 39% of the time. I ranked 3rd in the number of bills signed into law, and I missed fewer votes (1) than anyone in the House. Also, pursuant to my personal policy, I never voted "present" during this session or any other.

Budget chairs to speak at Political Animals of NWA

I'll drive up to Fayetteville on April 30 to attend the monthly meeting of the Political Animals Club there (7:00 a.m., Fayetteville Clarion). Joint Budget Co-Chairs Rep. Bruce Maloch (D-Magnolia) and Sen. Gil Baker (R-Conway) will be the program. After that meeting, I have to run over to speak at a conference in Eureka, then I'll return to Fayetteville to speak to Janine Parry's Arkansas Politics class at the UofA that afternoon.

Judge Jim Hudson update

Many of you have asked about Jim Hudson, the former elected Prosecuting Attorney here in the 8th Judicial District who's served on the circuit bench for several terms now. Hudson, 54, underwent a surgical procedure to remove cancer on March 27 and was recovering nicely until a post-surgical infection set in. He coded on April 3 and has been fighting for his life since then. I'm in Little Rock today in meetings and will stop by UAMS to visit his family. He's currently stable but very fragile. A Caring Bridge site has been set up by the family, and it is updated several times daily with his status. The site has already received 20,000 hits. An update from yesterday morning on the site noted that he's continuing to lose blood internally. They're going to go back to the OR this morning to remove internal packing and check the bleeding status again.

Jim is the guy at Wednesday night bible study who sits in the back and fills up a notepad with notes (as if he needs it -- he runs an advanced adult Sunday school class that would entertain most biblical scholars). He's as equally attentive on the bench while hearing even the most mundane cases. Being a circuit judge, he's always being interrupted on Sunday mornings at church (especially on Sunday mornings) by local law enforcement to sign warrants, etc. I was an usher one day last year when several law enforcement officers came in the church looking for him. I went and got him from his pew and told him that he must have some warrants to sign. I found out later that morning that they were there to tell him that his son had died overnight. Jim is now fighting for his life, and over a hundred showed last night at FUMC for a prayer vigil. Bill Clinton put in a call late last week.

Tea for one

I got an invite to our local TEA Party here in Texarkana, and after seeing this on the Internet and getting a follow-up phone call, I decided to do the neighborly thing and I walked right up in the middle of it. Got a few backslaps and handshakes for going, and only one pointed question about a vote I recently made: on the animal cruelty legislation that passed. Congressman Ralph Hall (R-Texas) was the main speaker, and the Gazette put the crowd at 500. Here's a pic of the Texarkana event, taken from my office window:



And one from the mailbag from the event at the Capitol:

Dad turns 65

My dad has always celebrated his birthday alongside his CPA friend, who both had something to celebrate on April 15. This year, my dad has applied for Social Security, and he's in the process of dialing it back here at the office. He'll still come in on a daily basis, because he just can't stay away, but he'll probably spend most of his hours reading Max's and Brummett's blogs and will practice law on the side as a hobby. He started his legal career as a JAG officer in Vietnam, and then he joined his father-in-law Boyd Tackett here in Texarkana in private practice. He's achieved the highest pre-eminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell (AV), and as of this summer, he has practiced law for 40 years. Happy birthday, Dad.

Final number of bills signed into law this session: 1,501

The last bill signed into law by Governor Beebe was HB1555 by Rep. Monty Betts, which clarifies student growth funding for public school districts.

Town Hall meeting in Lafayette County

Congressman Mike Ross made a stop in Lewisville yesterday afternoon to hold one of the 34 town hall meetings he's holding in each of the 29 counties in his 4th Congressional District. He's scheduled to hold four more today in Murfreesboro, Glenwood, Hot Springs, and Mt. Ida. He hit the highlights of current federal issues, presented an honest assessment of the budget, and outlined his positions on the deficit/debt, America's energy policy, health care, and the 2009 Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

He spent most of the 90 minutes, though, fielding questions from the 50 or so in the audience. Most of the questions dealt with card check, cap and trade, other energy issues, the stimulus package, the federal budget, and the new "Making Work Pay Credit" tax cuts that just went into effect. I talked to him by phone last night, and he says these town hall meetings help him stay focused on the issues that are on the minds of the people in his district while keeping them updated on his efforts and issues that affect them.

One week from the Boston Marathon

I'll be running in the Boston Marathon a week from today. With a 10:30 start on Monday and two million spectators on the course, it'll be different from any other marathon I've ever run. Want to track my progress? Just text Runner to 41234, and once you get a confirmation text, just type in my bib number: 27178, and you're all set. I'll be running with an RFID tag in my shoe, and updates will be automatically sent to your cell phone each time I cross over a mat at each 10K. The big piece of advice from Boston veterans seems to be "control your excitement." Going out too fast in the first two miles (big downhill) will mean that I'll look great at the first 10K but awful after I tackle Heartbreak Hill at mile 16 (and I'll have 10 miles left!). There are 27 Arkansans in the race.

Governor makes lottery commission appointments

The governor appointed George J. Hammons (Philander Smith Chair of Chemistry Dept, Pine Bluff) Dianne Lamberth (Lyon Board of Trustees, Batesville), and Ben Pickard (fmr VC for Student Services at ASU-Beebe) to the lottery commission today. This rounds out the nine members of the commission, who can begin work on finding a director and begin the implementation of the lottery in Arkansas.

The governor also made three appointments to the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism today: Steve Arrison of Hot Springs, Tom Schueck of Little Rock, and Cindy Smith of McGehee. He additionally named a few Special Associate Justices to the Arkansas Supreme Court to hear specific cases.

Daily briefing: Post-session reviews

Here are a few post-session articles and editorials published today on the legislative session (and other news on state government): Arkansas Business (Jeff Hankins): Session Kudos Arkansas News Bureau: Global warming bills met with limited success CIN.com: NAMIC Praises Ark Lawmakers for rejecting accident fees Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Limited pension increases allowed The Daily Record: BreastCare saves thousands of women’s lives in Arkansas Rep. Dan Greenberg: Session summary Associated Press: Game and Fish to set aside gas income

Miller County dogs

After the rain cleared out, I spent the latter part of Easter Sunday on a 40-mile bike ride through central Miller County. I've ridden/run through lots of places, but nowhere are the dogs more numerous and fierce than right here at home. I was cruising along on a rural road about 25 miles into my ride just doing my thing when this one to the right jumped off the porch and began galloping in my direction. I didn't think much of it, as he looked like he was fenced in, until I saw an opening in the fence on the other side of his yard. By the time he hit that hole in the fence, it was on. I just happened to have my phone out and snapped a picture of him as he hit full stride towards my front wheel.

I was still chuckling and looking at the picture I had taken when this next one caught me napping (left). There are few things as startling -- especially when running -- as the sound of dog toenails hitting the pavement when you're not paying attention. This one had an angle on me, and I nearly dropped my phone trying to switch back into a higher gear. I'm certain that if I had, he would've eaten it. My GPS says I was going 31 mph, and he was still gaining on me. The women on the porch across the street thought it was hilarious -- at least I got that impression when I looked over my shoulder and saw them slapping their knees doubled over in laughter. Glad I was able to offer up some Sunday entertainment. You just have to remember that when you're riding in a group, you don't have to be the fastest -- you just can't be the slowest.

Social networking sites featured in today's Arkansas newspapers

Both the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the Texarkana Gazette feature stories on Twitter, local blogs, and other social networking sites:

Arkansas Democrat Gazette (1B): ‘Tweets,’ blogs catch on at Capitol
Texarkana Gazette (1A): The Tweet on Twitter: Latest online socializing network trend goes nuclear
Columnist David Sanders (Arkansas News Bureau): I tweet, therefore I am

Monday Update: Columnist Pat Lynch joins in: All a'Twitter

Grover Norquist and the "no tax hike" pledge

Lawmakers in Florida are trying to find a way to bridge a $3 billion budget shortfall, and the consensus at the point seems to be a sharp increase in the cigarette tax. The problem is that Governor Crist, the House speaker and the Senate pro tem, in addition to several dozen other lawmakers, have all signed a "no tax hike" pledge from the Americans for Tax Reform -- the organization created and run by Grover Norquist. The pledge requires its signers to "oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes." Six Arkansas legislators have signed it.

Several Florida legislators have contacted Norquist to ask if they can count some of the tax cuts they've made in recent sessions to offset this tax increase. "Nope," says Norquist. Others are trying to refer to the proposed tax as a "user fee" on an optional product. Good luck with that. Even Norquist says the "user fee" or "surcharge" language doesn't pass the laugh test. One legislator told the Miami Herald (off the record), “tell Grover Norquist to find us $2 billion and then I’ll worry about his freaking pledge.” Here's more.

States that beat us to adjournment

Seven states beat us to adjournment in 2009: Georgia, Kentucky, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming. Several other states are currently in "recess" (which is actually our status, since we'll go back to close out the session sine die on May 1): Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. Most of those states, however, are more "full-time" than our legislature and expect to find themselves back in session soon.

DeMillo: Beebe emerges from session with more victories

Associated Press columnist Andrew DeMillo has already posted his Sunday column, which looks at the legislative victories the governor piled up during this legislative session.

Easter weekend

Put in seven miles this morning then took Camille to our annual Easter egg hunt. Nothing else on the calendar today, so I'm headed down to the office.

Tornado cleanup/relief in Mena

The cleanup effort is already underway in Mena, after last night's tornado there killed three and left much of the town's buildings and infrastructure with serious damage. If you're interested in helping, several organizations are working in conjunction with Red Cross and the Polk County Department of Emergency Management. Click here and here.

Adjourned!

I sincerely appreciate you following the blog and writing in with your concerns and questions during the session. I hope you've had as much fun reading it as I've had writing it. I will continue the blog, and it will remain as active out of session as in session. I believe it has shown to be an effective tool to stay in touch with my constituency and to honor my obligation to be as accessible as possible. I am a staunch advocate for sunshine in government, and I hope that I was able to adequately shine a light on the proceedings of the 87th General Assembly. People have an inherent right to know what their government is up to.

The Internet is a powerful tool, and I'm hopeful that all elected officials will harness it and use it to the benefit of all Arkansans. As always, call my Texarkana office (870-773-VOTE) or e-mail (steve@steveharrelson.com) if I can be of service.

Scene at the Capitol on the last day of the session

We'll convene at 10:00 this morning to take up the short calendar, and we're expecting to hear from Governor Beebe as well.

House Update: The governor will address the Senate first before coming to the House to discuss the success of the session. Robbie will also address the House, and I'll get footage of that speech for his site. I'll post updates here throughout the day.

Update on legislation in the House: The Imitation Firearm Act was back on the agenda to concur in a Senate amendment. After considerable discussion, we concurred in the amendment 59-27-2.

Side note: While much of the leadership in the House has been praised this session, there are several others are worthy of recognition, and I'll be noting those in the coming days and months as we review the session and upcoming events in Arkansas politics and government.

Special recognition also goes to the front row, which had the same composition this session as it had last session (me, Bubba Powers, Jim House, and David Rainey). Even though we represent different areas and interests, we voted pretty closely on most issues.

Another tradition that takes place on the last day started with Lloyd George, who wore overalls on the last day of session so he could hit the farm immediately upon adjournment. Here's a picture of the group who is carrying on this tradition.

Governor visits the House: Governor Beebe came in to address the House on the highs of the legislative session. We are now resuming today's voting calendar, and upon its conclusion, Speaker Wills will be recognized to address the membership. I'll post footage of his speech once he posts it to his site.

Last vote: The last vote was to appropriate the Internatinal Bacculaureate Program funding for the Department of Education. It passed with 93 for, 4 against (Reps. Dickinson, Garner, King, and Martin), and two voting present (Reps. Carter, Dismang).

Speaker Wills: Robbie spoke on providing funding for active teachers' health insurance, economic development (HJR1007), tax cuts, and an array of issues tackled by the House of Representatives. He focused on the trauma system and the lives it will save and said we can "check health care off our list of accomplishments." He said he was proud not only of what we did but the way we did it.

11:15 am.: We are adjourned!

Senate updates:

The Senate has eight non-fiscal bills and three budget bills on their agenda this morning. The Senate pro tem election for the 88th General Assembly will be held later today. I'll post a report from that election here.

Senate Pro Tem Race: Sen. Paul Bookout (D-Jonesboro) will serve as the Senate Pro-Tem for the 88th General Assembly. He won on the first ballot.

Governor's Conference Room: Lots of activity in the governor's office today, where Beebe is signing several items into law this morning.