Arkansas Senate

The Arkansas State Senate is the upper branch of the Arkansas General Assembly. The Senate consists of 35 members, each representing a district with about 83,000 people. Service in the state legislature is part-time, and many state senators have full-time jobs during the rest of the year. The 35-member Senate consists of twenty-four Republicans and eleven Democrats.HistoryThe Arkansas Senate was created and re-created by five separate constitutions, the first of which was ratified on January 30, 1836, and the fifth and current of which was adopted in 1874. The reason for so many constitutions is in part because of the secession of Arkansas from the United States during the time of the American Civil War and the aftermath of the war. The constitution has also changed over time through numerous amendments.In 1947, the Arkansas Legislative Council committee was created to collect data for legislators and oversee the Bureau of Legislative Research, which is composed of professional, nonpartisan staff to aid in the legislative process. The committee consists of 36 legislators, 16 of which are state senators.In 1964, Dorathy M. Allen became the first woman elected to the Arkansas Senate. During her time in office, she was the only female in the Arkansas Senate.Originally, legislators met biennially. A 2008 ballot proposal approved by voters created annual legislative sessions. In 1992, voters approved term limits, limiting state senators to two four-year terms. In 2014, term limits were extended to 16 years cummulative in either house.