“PARTY ON!” or “Drain the Swamp!”
What you need to know about the Arkansas House of Representative orientation
The Arkansas House of Representatives spends a week on orientation for new Representatives. Orientation began Sunday, December 4. A lot of important information is provided, perhaps too much for new Representatives to digest. Orientation cover everything from procedural rules, to services provided by legislative staff, to budget information, to ethics information, to legislator’s retirement benefits and health care benefits. So much information is provided, each legislator comes away with a thick binder full of information.
Just as important, if not more so, is the opportunity orientation provides for new Representatives to visit and make friends with their colleagues.
The information provided during orientation and the opportunity to get to know their colleagues are essential to having a good start to the upcoming legislative session. But, there is another part of orientation – a part that probably has the most influence on how new Representatives will do the people’s business.
While Representatives are at orientation their meals are provided by lobbyists and by the big clients of lobbyists. New Representatives quickly learn lobbyists are the source of fun, food, and drink.
Do you think a week of partying with lobbyists sets the right tone for doing the people’s business?
Bad news. It is not just orientation. Lobbyists and their clients provide three meals a day for legislators during much of the regular legislative session. — So, you could say the lobbyist sponsored party week of orientation actually prepares new legislators for the real legislative environment.
Obviously, you will hear – “These things don’t influence me.”
A lobbyist is not allowed to take out one or two legislators and wine and dine them. That was prohibited in the supposed “ethics reform” amendment adopted in 2014. The big loophole is – lobbyists and their clients get to wine and dine legislators if the invitation is to a whole committee or the full House or Senate.
Many people on both the left and the right think this a terrible practice and the loophole should be closed.
Shouldn’t legislators pay for their own meals and liquor from the per diem/ expenses they receive from taxpayers!
Which would your legislator vote for? “Party on!” or “Drain the swam” Just don’t ask during House orientation week. You wouldn’t want your legislator to choke trying to talk with a full mouth.
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Here is the Arkansas House of Representatives’ list of lobbyist events during orientation week (December 4 through 9).
AR Manufactured Housing Assoc., AR Oil Marketers Assoc., AR Petroleum Council, AR Cable Telecom. Assoc.
December 4th, 2016 6:00 p.m.
Location: The Little Rock Club – Regions Bank Building
Event: Legislative Orientation Dinner for Members of the 91st General Assembly & Staff only (Cocktail Reception & Dinner)
CenterPoint Energy
December 5th, 2016 8:00 a.m.
Location: Capitol Hill Apartment Building
Event: Breakfast (Members of the 91st General Assembly & Staff only)
Impact Management Group
December 5th, 2016 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Capitol Hill Apartment Building
Event: Lunch (Members of the 91st General Assembly & Staff only)
Mullenix & Associates, LLC
December 5th, 2016 5:30 p.m.
Location: Capitol Hill Apartment Building
Event: Reception and Dinner (Members of the 91st General Assembly & Staff only)
Associated General Contractors (AGC) AR
December 6th, 2016 7:00 a.m.
Location: Capitol Hill Apartment Building
Event: Breakfast for Legislative Institute (Members of the 91st General Assembly & Staff only)
Stephens Investments Holdings, LLC
December 6th, 2016 12:00 p.m.
Location: Capitol Hill Apartment Building
Event: Lunch (Members of the 91st General Assembly & Staff only)
Phillips Management & Consulting Service
December 6th, 2016 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Location: The Victory Building, Rm 445 – 1401 West Capitol Ave., Little Rock
Event: Reception & Casual Dinner (Members of the 91st General Assembly & Staff only)
Independent Insurance Agents of AR & AR Hospital Association
December 7th, 2016 7:00 a.m.
Location: Capitol Hill Apartment Building
Event: Breakfast (Members of the 91st General Assembly & Staff only)
Arkansas Telecommunications Association
December 7th, 2016 12:00 p.m.
Location: Capitol Hill Apartment Building
Event: Lunch (Members of the 91st General Assembly & Staff only)
Noble Strategies and The Perimeter Group
December 7th, 2016 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Location: Capital Hotel, 111 Markham Street, Little Rock, AR
Event: Reception and Dinner (Members of the 91st General Assembly & Staff only)
AR Forestry Association, AR Timber Producers Assoc., and AR Forest & Paper Council
December 8th, 2016 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Location: Capitol Hill Apartment Building
Event: Breakfast (Members of the 91st General Assembly & Staff only)
AR Bankers Association
December 8th, 2016 12:00 p.m.
Location: Capitol Hill Apartment Building
Event: Luncheon (Members of the 91st General Assembly & Staff only)
The Poultry Federation
December 8th, 2016 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Location: Cotham’s in the City, 1401 West 3rd St., Little Rock, AR
Event: Reception & Dinner (Members of the 91st General Assembly & Staff only)
AR Society of Professional Lobbyists & ARBEV
December 9th, 2016 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Location: Capitol Hill Apartment Building
Event: Breakfast (Members of the 91st General Assembly & Staff only)
AR Health Care Association
December 9th, 2016 12:00 p.m.
Location: Capitol Hill Apartment Building
Event: Lunch (Members of the 91st General Assembly & Staff only)
