State Lawmakers Going High Tech on Bills, Amendments
By:
Updated: November 2, 2012
Come December, Arkansas state lawmakers will be looking at computer tablets to review bills and amendments instead of sorting through huge piles of paper.
Speaker of the House designate Darrin Williams says the chamber is buying 100 tablets for lawmakers in four House committee rooms to use.
At a cost of about $600 per tablet, 25 tablets per committee room, the math adds up to $60,000.
The purpose, he says, is to cut the cost of paper, copying, overtime wages for staffers and promote green efficiency.
In the last session, lawmakers reviewed 1,195 amendments made to 1,230 bills and that adds up to a lot of paper and time, he said.
The new tablets will be located in four committee rooms in the House, he said.
With regard to possible computer glitches, Williams said House staffers will have backup paper copies of bills and amendments just in case the system fails and for lawmakers who are not comfortable with transitioning to the new methodology of reviewing legislation in electronic format.
Speaker of the House designate Darrin Williams says the chamber is buying 100 tablets for lawmakers in four House committee rooms to use.
At a cost of about $600 per tablet, 25 tablets per committee room, the math adds up to $60,000.
The purpose, he says, is to cut the cost of paper, copying, overtime wages for staffers and promote green efficiency.
In the last session, lawmakers reviewed 1,195 amendments made to 1,230 bills and that adds up to a lot of paper and time, he said.
The new tablets will be located in four committee rooms in the House, he said.
With regard to possible computer glitches, Williams said House staffers will have backup paper copies of bills and amendments just in case the system fails and for lawmakers who are not comfortable with transitioning to the new methodology of reviewing legislation in electronic format.
