|
House approves naming rice as Arkansas' official grainLITTLE ROCK (AP)--Add grain to butterflies and spelling as special interests of this year's legislative session. On a 97 to 2 vote March 19, the House approved a bill that would name rice the official grain of the state. The proposal would follow the lead of a bill signed into law last month that names the Diana Fritillary as the state's official butterfly. Rep. Bruce Maloch, the proposal's sponsor, said he was lobbied by his 12-year-old daughter to file the bill long before the session began in January. Reading a letter from his daughter, Maloch said she threatened to ask the backer of the butterfly bill to push for the rice proposal if Maloch didn't introduce it. Maloch approached the lectern at the House chamber to a chorus of groans as the bill's title was read. A few members couldn't avoid giving him a hard time about the proposal. "Is there any scientific evidence to prove that butterflies eat rice?" Rep. Mike Burris asked Maloch. Maloch said the measure would demonstrates the importance of rice to Arkansas. Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that rice was the top crop in Arkansas, coming in with a value of $892 million. Maloch said the designation would not mean any additional printing costs for the state. The bill now heads to the Senate. The proposal, however, met some opposition. Rep. Billy Gaskill, D-Paragould, said he voted against the measure because he didn't like the idea of showing preferential treatment for one crop over another. "I'm in the cotton country. I don't want rice to be the official food or grain here," Gaskill said. "We got some weird things going on here." Although it wasn't given an official designation, the Legislature also passed a non-binding resolution declaring "Arkansas's" the correct way to write the state's possessive case. Gov. Mike Beebe has said he plans to sign the resolution. B 10 3/26/07 5 Star OK Date: 3/22/07
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2008. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
| ||||||||||||||||||||
