The Arkansas Senate has passed the appropriation for the state Department of Commerce for the 2021-2022 fiscal year after failing it on three previous votes.
Senators voted 28-2 on Wednesday, gaining one additional vote for the needed 27 to pass it. The Senate failed to pass the appropriation both on Monday and Tuesday.
Senators ultimately voted twice on Senate Bill 132 on Wednesday. The first vote gained 27 votes, but a motion to “sound the vote” by Republican Sen. Trent Garner of El Dorado caused the bill to fail again. Garner has said he would not vote for an appropriation for the department due to a lack of confidence in Commerce Secretary Mike Preston,
After the first failed vote, Republican Sen. Jonathan Dismang of Beebe made a motion to again pass Senate Bill 132. This time, with a vote of 28-2, the bill passed. It now goes to the House.
