The Senate on Wednesday rejected legislation that would transfer the state Board of Election Commissioners into the secretary of state’s office. With a dozen senators not voting, Senate Bill 368 by Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, failed 7-15. The vote came after King made a pitch for the bill and no senator spoke against it. The Senate later expunged the initial vote on the bill to open the door for King to ask for another.
King told senators that melding the board into the secretary of state’s office would make state government more efficient and save money.
“We need to look at efficiencies,” King said. He pointed to the state’s net general revenue available to agencies; that revenue is $57 million less than the collections forecast for the first seven months of fiscal 2017, which ends June 30.
Full Article: Senate rejects election board’s shift to secretary of state.