Without establishing an AGFC budget, the fiscal session ends

Little Rock, Arkansas – The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s budget remained undetermined as the fiscal session concluded.

The House of Representatives’ failure to approve AGFC’s appropriations on Thursday, May 9, was attributed to worries about the organization’s director Austin Booth’s planned $190,000 pay rise.

After then, the Senate approved an amendment that limited the raise to the 3% that state employees will already receive in the upcoming year.

“When you look across the board at what we were willing to do for state employees, for cabinet secretaries, for all those folks, it was two percent, three percent [increase], so I don’t know how you justify a 25% raise for a director,” said Republican State Representative Jeremy Wooldridge, of Marmaduke.

“We’ve passed out the appropriation for the Game and Fish,” said Republican State Senator Jonathan Dismang, of Beebe. “People can say whatever they want about the timing or how it transpired, but we did our part on the Senate side.”