Legislature

Legislative Highlights

The 88th General Assembly adjourned on April 27, 2011 after one of the longest sessions in history at 93 days. The Legislature tackled numerous “big ticket” items such as tax cuts, Congressional redistricting, ethics legislation and highway repair. These issues, however, represented just a handful of the more than 2,200 bills filed by lawmakers. Below is a brief description of some of the major pieces of legislation, including the extensive prison reform, of which Rep. Williams was a sponsor and advocate.

Prison Reform

For some time now, Arkansas has been heading down a dangerous and unsustainable path in regards to our prison system. With an increasing number of prisoners being housed, costs for operating the facilities have been skyrocketing. Although we continue to invest more and more money in prisons, our recidivism rates continue to be alarmingly high.  Early on, Governor Beebe, legislative leaders and the chief justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court made it clear that reforming the state’s prison system to secure a better return on our investment and to protect Arkansas’ law-abiding citizens would be one of the highest priorities of the legislative session.  Rep. Williams, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, was tapped as the lead House sponsor of the massive legislation.  Securing bi-partisan support, Rep. Williams’ leadership proved pivotal in the passage of this important legislation.  

The reforms include reducing sentencing for non-violent, level drug and property offenses, while preserving prison beds for those violent, hardened criminals who deserve them.  Additionally, this reform legislation calls for an increased emphasis in drug courts and rehabilitation programs that have proven to be effective.  By implementing these reforms the state will be able to save hundreds of millions of dollars over the next decade while at the same time maintaining safety as our number one priority.  

Tax cuts

Another major success that came out of this session was a further reduction in the state sales tax on groceries. Governor Beebe has long been an advocate for reducing this regressive tax that affects low-income families across the state. In addition to this reduction, other tax cuts that emerged from this session included reductions in tax paid on or for used cars, low-income heads of household, manufacturers and back-to-school shoppers.

Highways

Arkansas’ Speaker of the House was a strong advocate this session for improving the state’s crumbling highway system.   Having strong infrastructure is vitally important to creating jobs and attracting new industry.  Speaker Moore was successful in passing two tax proposals to be referred to voters in 2012 to help pay for highway construction and maintenance.

Congressional Redistricting

As happens every decade in accordance with the U.S. Constitution, state lawmakers took up the daunting task of redrawing Arkansas’ Congressional districts to better reflect the state’s shifting population based on the 2010 Census.  Lawmakers waited until other legislation had been finalized before taking up this controversial topic.

The ultimate question was how to account for a loss in population in the Fourth Congressional District and a gain in population in the Third. Solutions to the problem were many, but few were popular. The final map that gained approval saw the Fourth District taking a small portion of population from the Third in a move that left most major cities intact in their Districts.

Sponsored Legislation
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Committees

Committee assignments are an important part of a lawmaker’s job during the General Assembly. Some committees are busier than other and see more complex legislation pass through. Of all the committees in the General Assembly, the Judiciary Committee is probably the busiest, seeing legislation dealing with everything from prison reform and law enforcement to judicial districts and the civil and the civil justice system. This year, Speaker of the House Robert Moore chose Rep. Williams to lead this important committee as its Chair, an honor that is not given lightly.

In addition to serving as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Williams also served on the following committees:

  • ARKANSAS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (ALC)
  • ALC-CHARITABLE, PENAL AND CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS
  • ALC-PERSONNEL
  • ALC-HOSPITAL AND MEDICAID STUDY SUBCOMMITTEE
  • DESEGREGATION LITIGATION OVERSIGHT SUBCOMMITTEE
  • CODE REVISION COMMISSION
  • AGING, CHILDREN AND YOUTH, LEGISLATIVE & MILITARY AFFAIRS- HOUSE
  • AGING & LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS- HOUSE AGING SUBCOMMITTEE
  • HOUSE RULES
  • ARKANSAS LOTTERY COMMISSION LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
  • ex officio:JUDICIARY- HOUSE COURTS & CIVIL LAW SUBCOMMITTEE
  • ex officio:JUDICIARY- HOUSE CORRECTIONS & CRIMINAL LAW SUBCOMMITTEE
  • ex officio:JUDICIARY- HOUSE JUVENILE JUSTICE & CHILD SUPPORT SUBCOMMITTEE
  • Non-Voting: CITY, COUNTY & LOCAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE- HOUSE