ALC-Policy Making

One of the table I want to thank representative later month for getting us up this morning and then skipping the meeting we shall visit with him about that later but the policy lc policy making committee will please come to order ladies and gentlemen is the brief meeting if you make it so. Gentleman you recognized sounds right thank manchester entretoria right representative jeff word law district ninety four thank you for identifying yourself to the record thank you madam too. Of june in committee this is about special expenses of committees that are meeting in interim committee balances that sheet you'll see in your packet shows a special expenses on b one out to the right currently I think a lot of committee chairs along with myself thought that already came out of the committee's budget but it does not it comes out of bl ours budget so while we have committees with a sufficient balances for their uh being able to meet and i'd remand a committee that so happen that often but in in the number of years i've been out here we've had times with a special projects and all member education and in some different things had to come back and to policy making sure committee and ask for additional expenses and that's why it does but I think we all would say it's fair on b two it would show with your approval today what it would do if we went back to the start of the piece of year july one twenty twenty three and we take those special expenses out of the individual committees it make coach you're hazing things else to say representative will and this thing is important that is the chairs and II see quite a few chairs in here to the chairs be conscience of what these meetings away from the capital cost what what we have to pay for those rooms and due to the the ethics change in twenty fourteen every time we have a meeting anywhere outside of the university system we have to pay for those rooms and right now that's been coming out of the bureau budget I want to be clear it still comes out of the bureau budget. But it's going to come from your committee budget and that way you guys get a report on it you guys will be aware of it and you will have a conscious interest way of of saying i'm going to go to northwest arkansas today or i'm going to southwest argues on next month and then you know what that's going to cost and you know how that works the speaker made it clear in I want to it reinerated here that if one of these budgets do get to zero we will come back here and we will have syndroches field of a and representative and have a meeting and we will address that accordingly i'm not going to sit here and say that we're going to approve those hours say that we will we will look at it we will give it to just attention it needs and if it needs to be up because there's a justified reason for those meetings be off campus or those meetings to take place then they will get the the just met that they need and I think it's important that the membership knows that we are conscious that that could happen and it has happened in the past sir just you've changed committee a long time you've seen him come here and ask for more money before I believe it was JPR a few years ago that we had to put more money and so as will be clear this this is not a negregious act this act was so that the chairs could be conscious of what those meetings are costing and now that coverage over we are back out traveling and I think it's important that everybody's just conscious of what that travel cost in how we address that. Thank you jam and I think it's important to his chair that we have traditionally honored the request of chairs but it is an individual decision that this committee is test with making. We will get a better field. But what we're spending. Per committee that does not mean that you cannot do the job that you think you need to do and the people of this date deserve to see you in various places I do believe and that's not what our makers are talking about but it is I think a more clear definition of spending per committee are there questions for senator rice or for representative warmer. Seeing none do I have a motion motion master I have a motion of questions who is in one twenty four. Is that you senator johnson. Okay somebody's in one twenty four are they were okay senator jansen thank thank you madame chair soon rise representative war law I just want to clarification on the thing about the amendment the constitutional amendment that the ethics can quote amendment that says that we if we travel to a campus harriet campus that we have no experience but if there is a year. If it's elsewhere there's actually a room expensive that might be a dual question I but is that that is in the amendment so we can't change that is that correct jillian you recognize. Thank you jealth beer of legislative research that parts actually in the code in the law and but it's it's not that there's no expense there's no expense for the room you may still have an expense if you do a a tour bass or you bring in a food what I would call hard costs is that it may be a good definition yes but the actual facility and their av equipment that goes along with that facility can be given to the committee certainly one of the reimbursed any agency precaution will do that in the interest to transparency this is probably a good thing but I didn't want us to put a chilling effect on being able to go to agency locations where we want to see what's going on there as well as it's a great answer thank you thank you madame and ngl correct me where i'm wrong here but I think if you were going to a health department in warrant arkansas you would get the luxury of that room as well because of state agency but the other thing that when we looked at this and and and not kind of dug into this because I saw some meetings happened and I had to bury pulled me some numbers together I think you guys are find it very interesting to see what the cost of coffee importer is at these meetings and i'm not being funny and being serious it is is not it's not cheap when they pick up coffee at starburks are rarely pick up coffee and then they bring the bottle water it's a long item on these experience in its significant it's not a four digit deal but it's a three digit deal every time and I just think it's important that these committee chairs understand are that so that they understand when they're scheduling these meetings what they're going to be scheduled against and they're having those conversations to what these rooms cost what coffees going to cost what is this gonna entail so that we have transparency and that we know what it is and I think we're somewhere out of thirty thousand dollars already in in this travel or twenty thousand I can't remember that number of top me it's been a lot going on this morning that it's it's already a significant amount. Are meetings that have already traveled so with that sooner right I think you have a specific motion out of terrorist if you're ready we're ready not yet let me see if there are others who have questions are there are the questions then center duration recognized for motion church will get everything in my motion and move it especially experience with committees and task force be deducted from the committee fund phones allocated by the subcommittee for each physical year and that this change be applied retro active to special expenses encourage its july first of twenty twenty three you've write the motion is there a second it's been moved in second it is their discussion on the motion as a cheer let me just say that we budget this every year. If we see that we are going to go over budget it would then be prudent to increase the budget line item for the committees. Is everybody with me so there is there is a way forward for this and also you have the ability to come back as a committee if you see that there is a need across the state you have the ability as a committee to come back and increase the budget during the second by the discussion on the motion sing now will place the question I love in favor please they are opposed no motion cares gentlemen thank you your motion is scary they can manage their further business to come before the committee. Seeing nine you are adjourned.