SR 37

1 State of Arkansas
2 95th General Assembly
3 Fiscal Session, 2026  SR 37
4
5 By: Senator B. Davis
6
7
8SENATE RESOLUTION
9TO PROHIBIT THE ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE CHAMBER OF
10THE SENATE BY ARKANSAS GIRLS STATE FOR ITS ANNUAL
11MEETING.
12
13
14Subtitle
15TO PROHIBIT THE ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE
16CHAMBER OF THE SENATE BY ARKANSAS GIRLS
17STATE FOR ITS ANNUAL MEETING.
18
19WHEREAS, Arkansas Girls State regularly requests access to and use of
20 the Chamber of the Senate for their sessions that take place in the State
21 Capitol Building; and
22
23WHEREAS, it has come to the attention of the members of the Senate that
24 several outstanding young women, who are both qualified to participate and
25 who were chosen by their schools to be delegates, have been denied the
26 opportunity to participate in Arkansas Girls State due to inadvertent
27 administrative oversights in the application process; and
28
29WHEREAS, the denial of these outstanding young women is based upon the
30 actions of schools and educators who, despite their best intentions and
31 diligent efforts, missed the application deadline for Arkansas Girls State;
32 and
33
34WHEREAS, the adults responsible for missing deadlines have taken full
35 responsibility for their errors; and
36
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  SR37
1      WHEREAS, Arkansas Girls State embodies the ideas of civic engagement,
2 leadership, and public service and is a source of pride for communities and a
3 formative experience for young women across Arkansas; and
4
5      WHEREAS, it would be both a profound disappointment and a loss for the
6 people of Arkansas to deny deserving students the ability to participate in
7 Arkansas Girls State when that program has proven to be transformative for
8 many future leaders,
9
10 NOW THEREFORE,
11 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE
12 STATE OF ARKANSAS:
13
14      THAT the Senate prohibit access to and use of the Chamber of the Senate
15 for the 2026 meeting of Arkansas Girls State.
16
17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT Arkansas Girls State shall not utilize the bill
18 drafting services of the Bureau of Legislative Research during the 2026
19 meeting of Arkansas Girls State.
20
21 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT if the President Pro Tempore of the Senate
22 determines that the American Legion Auxiliary has allowed the young women
23 denied participation due to administrative oversights to participate in the
24 2026 meeting of Arkansas Girls State, this resolution shall be rescinded,
25 Arkansas Girls State shall be permitted access to and use of the Chamber of
26 the Senate for the 2026 meeting of Arkansas Girls State, and Arkansas Girls
27 State shall have access to the bill drafting services of the Bureau of
28 Legislative Research during the 2026 meeting of Arkansas Girls State.
29
30 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Senate strongly urges the American Legion
31 Auxiliary to reconsider any decision that would prevent the participation of
32 those young women who, despite both being qualified to participate and being
33 selected by their schools as delegates, have been denied the opportunity to
34 participate in Arkansas Girls State.
35
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