Arkansas lawmakers consider other funding methods as they abandon sixth prison appropriation vote
Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, asks a question during a meeting of the Arkansas Senate on April 10, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
After five failed votes, a $750 million prison appropriation bill appears dead for the legislative session, and state lawmakers are considering other methods for securing the needed funding to build the 3,000-bed facility in Franklin County.
The project has been controversial since it was announced in October, due to concerns over transparency, cost, infrastructure and an available workforce. Supporters of building the new state prison, including Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, have said it's necessary to address overcrowding in county jails.
Searcy Republican and Senate Bill 354 sponsor Sen. Jonathan Dismang said Thursday afternoon that he didn't see the point in continuing to vote because his legislation didn't have the 27 votes needed to clear the Arkansas Senate.
Bills typically need a simple majority to advance in the Legislature, but appropriation bills require a three-fourths majority, or 27 votes in the 35-member Senate.
'We're getting toward the end of the session, really today would have been the last day I think to try to clear it through the House,' Dismang said. ' I'm sure that we can jump through some procedural maneuvers if something changes over the weekend, but I don't believe that we'll be passing that appropriation.'
House Speaker Rep. Brian Evans, R-Cabot, told the Advocate early Thursday evening that he thinks the Senate can get 27 votes next week since some members' questions have been answered.
'I think they're very close to the 27,' he said. 'There might have been an issue that came up this morning where a couple of them just said 'Hey can we get another question or two answered?'… I still feel confident that they'll get those votes on Monday and so the bill will come down here Tuesday, and we're very optimistic that we have the votes here to pass it.'
Dismang said he expects 'quite a bit of movement' over the summer on the estimated $825 million project because the Legislature set aside $75 million in 2022 that has already been appropriated to the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
Following the state's purchase of 815 acres near Charleston last year for nearly $3 million, the corrections board has moved forward with the project by hiring a construction management company and seeking proposals from architectural firms and contractors.
The Legislature also set aside another $330 million for the project that hasn't been appropriated yet. State lawmakers have the ability to release some additional funding if needed, but Dismang said he doesn't expect the Legislature will have to take more action until they return for the fiscal session next spring.
Even if SB 354 was approved, Dismang said funding was always going to be released in stages, with the governor requesting various amounts by letter. The requests would require a three-fifths majority approval by the Arkansas Legislative Council, he said.
The Saline Courier reported that Sen. Alan Clark, R-Lonsdale, said he anticipated the governor would call a special session to secure the funding, but Dismang said Thursday that's not the case.
Prison bill gains some traction in Arkansas Senate, but not enough to advance
'We're not going to waste money on a special session,' he said. 'We had our ability to do something here. A minority of members decided they did not want to, and so this is where we are.'
Failing to approve SB 354 will not be detrimental to the project, according to Dismang, who said the experience over the last few weeks was good for the executive branch and the legislative body.
'We have members that had questions, but weren't asking their questions to anyone. We had an executive branch that was not probably reaching out as fully as they should,' he said. 'I think the last two weeks that's improved greatly. You saw that with some movement of votes and probably would have had further movement if we'd called for another vote — just not 27.'
Sen. John Payton, R-Wilburn, initially voted against SB 354, but joined 20 of his colleagues in voting for the bill Tuesday after he said the executive branch addressed some of his concerns with the project, such as staffing.
Green Forest Republican Sen. Bryan King, an outspoken critic of the project who seemed unlikely to be swayed, said Thursday he was pleased by the decision to halt voting on the appropriation bill.
'I am happy for the citizens of Arkansas and hope the Franklin County mega-prison scam is stopped before it gets past the point of no return,' King said in a text message. 'Arkansas can do better by hiring more public safety officers to reduce crime and address overcrowding by building facilities in a more financially responsible way.'
No meetings are scheduled for Friday, but lawmakers will return to the Capitol Monday for the remaining days of the session, which is expected to end Wednesday.
Reporter Tess Vrbin contributed to this story.
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