Two constitutional amendments proposed this week in the Arkansas legislature would significantly alter the state Highway Commission,
which oversees road construction in the state.
In the state Senate, Sen. Bill Gwatney introduced a proposal backed by the Arkansas Trucking Assn. to increase the number of commissioners from five to eight, and to have them elected rather than appointed by the governor. Commissioners would serve no more than two four-year terms.
Gwatney emphasized that he is not a lackey of the state's trucking industry. "I've never taken any money from truckers. I sponsored (a failed 1999) weight-distance tax, voted for it and voted for extra diesel taxes," he said. "I've been nothing but a pain in the neck for the trucking industry."
However, he said he was concerned about the shrinking influence of the state's General Assembly and the increasing power of bureaucrats and state agencies.
A separate proposal in the state House of Representatives would cut highway commissioners' 10-year terms in half. Introduced by Rep. Pat Bond, the amendment would still have the governor appoint commissioners. Beginning in 2003, the governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, would appoint five new commissioners - at least one from each congressional district - to staggered terms.