Senate committee adopts amendment to SB 743, restores Lincoln County to 1st District and reassigns three Pulaski precincts

A Senate committee voted to adopt an amendment to Senate Bill 743 that alters congressional-district precinct assignments and restores Lincoln County to the 1st Congressional District.

Senator Jane English (District 34), who presented the amendment, said it “adds 3 precincts to our original map” and described the change as correcting what had been omitted earlier in the process. Committee members discussed population deviations and precinct-level moves before adopting the amendment and passing the bill as amended by voice vote.

Why it matters: The amendment moves precincts in Pulaski and Sebastian counties and shifts tens of thousands of residents among congressional districts, a change senators said could affect representation and the logistics of delivering large regional projects. Senators also raised questions about the racial and ethnic composition of precincts moved between districts.

What the amendment does: Committee members and staff reported the amended map’s district-level population deviations as follows: District 1: -0.05 (about 372 persons), District 2: -0.02 (about 171 persons), District 3: +0.04 (about 338 persons), District 4: +0.03 (about 205 persons). Senators described specific precinct moves that put two North Pulaski precincts (affecting Jacksonville and Sherwood) back into the 2nd District and added a precinct south of Interstate 30 to adjust margins; a separate precinct shift in Sebastian County was made to keep a school district intact.

Demographics and impact concerns: Referring to Bureau of Legislative Research (BLR) figures, Senator Tucker said the Pulaski-area portions proposed to move are majority nonwhite: about 34% white, 58% African American and 4% Hispanic for the portion proposed to move into the First District, and roughly 30% white, 46% African American and 22% Hispanic for the portion proposed to move into the Fourth District. "That portion of Pulaski County ... is 34% white, 58% African American, 4% Hispanic," Tucker said, adding the total is “essentially 65% non white.”

The committee’s presiding officer replied that members had said they were not using racial demographics to draw maps. Committee members nevertheless debated the difference between intent and impact, with some expressing concern that splitting communities can leave pieces of a county with weaker ties to their congressional representatives.

Population totals: Senator Davis said the amended map moves about 32,780 people into the Fourth District and about 8,612 people into the First District — a total of roughly 41,392 residents moved out of the Second Congressional District under the amendment.

Votes and outcome: A motion to adopt the amendment was made and seconded; the committee adopted the amendment by voice vote. Senator Jane English then moved to pass out SB 743 as amended; the motion was seconded (second not named in the transcript) and the committee approved the bill by voice vote. No roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript.

Next steps: The committee chair said, barring unforeseen circumstances, the committee had finished its duties and adjourned. The bill, as amended, moves forward from the committee based on the committee’s voice vote.