Committee reviews highway commission amendment to redraw districts and limit approvals by county of residence

Little Rock — The committee considered a proposed amendment to change how Arkansas' highway commissioners are apportioned and approved.

The sponsor described a map-drawn approach that would assign five commissioners to regions based on shared highway corridors and mileage, rather than the current statewide approval process. Under the presented amendment, approval of a commissioner would be limited to senators representing the county of the commissioner's residence — "County of residence where the commissioner is appointed," the sponsor said — rather than requiring approval statewide.

Sponsor said the change aims to end "disproportional representation" where an at-large appointment can result in 2 commissioners from the same county or area. He acknowledged the amendment would take effect immediately but appointments would become effective January 1 following approval; he proposed a three-fifths legislative threshold (60 votes in the House, 21 in the Senate) for future amendments to the highway districts.

Senators asked practical questions about terms, whether the number of commissioners could change, and what happens when redistricting moves a commissioner out of their appointed district. The sponsor said those matters would be clarified with staff and BLR before any final referral; he also said the change could be implemented with staggered terms and that any transitional impacts would be addressed in drafting.

The committee did not vote on the amendment but sponsors said they expected interest and would accept technical amendments.