A renewed attempt to give the Legislature authority to write court rules and steps to enforce new ethics rules are among the first bills being filed by Arkansas lawmakers ahead of next year's session.
Monday marked the first day House and Senate members could file legislation ahead of next year's session, which begins Jan. 12. By late afternoon, only two bills had been filed.
One was legislation aimed at clarifying how new ethics rules contained in a constitutional amendment will be enforced. Arkansas voters on Nov. 4 approved the amendment, which banned most lobbyist gifts to elected officials.
The other bill was a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at giving the Legislature authority over some court rules. A similar proposal failed before a legislative committee last year.