Arkansas house upgrades website and live streaming

Little Rock, Arkansas (February 7, 2014) –

            Just days before the General Assembly is set to begin the state’s third fiscal session, Arkansas House Speaker Davy Carter announced that the House has upgraded its live streaming capabilities to ensure more Arkansans can watch the process from their computer or any mobile device. 

            The House Communications Office has also upgraded its website www.arkansashouse.org which is designed to be compatible with tablets and smart phones. 

During the last Regular Session, House proceedings were viewed a total of 80,000 times.  More than 3,000 people were watching live on their computer when the House voted on the Private Option.

“The House invested a great deal of resources back in 2010 when it began its public transparency initiative,” said Speaker Davy Carter. “But as you know technology can change dramatically in 4 years time.  And now that 60% of adults have a smart phone, we want to ensure that our public transparency efforts are still relevant and convenient.”

The upgrade also includes new section called “Kids in the House” designed specifically to help engage Arkansas students in the law making process.  This section is a continuing work in progress.  More features will be added in months to come.

Our upgrades in the streaming will allow viewers to read the text of the bill on the side of the screen as they are watching the debate and vote.  As a result, going forward this will make the archive search more user friendly.  Visitors to the site will now be able to search for previous videos by using key words.  Until now, one would need the bill number to find the corresponding video.

       Fiscal Session will begin at noon on Monday, February 10.