Arkansas State Senator Gary Stubblefield has withdrawn his SB 389, which would have created a presidential primary on the first Tuesday in March that is separate from the May primary for other office. The bill had passed the State Senate on March 27 by a vote of 20-5. But the chair of the House committee that hears election law bills doesn’t support the bill, and so the author withdrew it. Thanks to Josh Putnam for this news.
Just change committees. In the Montana Legislature they have done that to several bills just to get them to pass. SB 289 was the governor’s dark money bill, that was heard in Business and Labor. This committee didn’t even vote on the bill, before it was blasted to the House floor. Had it gone to the House State Administration committee, it probably had a better chance to die.
The speaker would have to really want it moved, since he assigned it to committee initially.