The Arkansas House of Representatives again shot down an attempt to pass a resolution calling for the Gulf of Mexico to be referred to as “the Gulf of America” on all official state documents.
After the House voted down House Resolution 1010 earlier this week, its sponsor state Rep. Aaron Pilkington, R-Knoxville, asked his colleagues Thursday in the chamber to reconsider. They declined.
The resolution, which is not binding, calls for the Natural State to follow the lead of President Donald Trump — who signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” — making the change “in all official state maps, documents, educational materials, and communications prepared by state agencies.”
As is typically the case with resolutions, the House voted through a voice vote. While most resolutions aren’t controversial, Pilkington’s was and in the opinion of House Speaker Brian Evans, R-Cabot, the shouts of “No,” were louder than the shouts of “Aye,” in the vote on Monday.
Pilkington claimed the “No,” votes were aided with “interference from the gallery that may have affected the outcome,” with members of the public joining the vote. So the Knoxville Republican asked for a motion to reconsider, which failed in a 39-52 vote. In all, 33 Republicans joined all 19 of the House’s Democrats in voting down the motion.
House Majority Leader Howard Beaty Jr., R-Crossett, spoke against the motion, arguing “the financial cost is going to be great.”
“And we were overwhelming with the vote — in the voice vote in this chamber — so I’d ask you to honor that and let’s get on to real business,” he said.
Pilkington said there would be no cost to the state as the resolution is non-binding, saying “there is not fiscal impact.”
Pilkington filed his resolution on Jan. 22, but it failed to pass the House Management Committee the following week since no member of the committee offered a motion to advance it.
After bringing HR1010 back to committee on Feb. 13, Pilkington was able to secure the votes to advance his legislation to the House floor.
While the Natural State may seem far from the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, its connection is essential to the state’s economy with the Arkansas River and the Port of Little Rock helping to connect the state to the Mississippi River, the Atlantic Ocean and thus the world, Pilkington has said.
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Publish date : 2025-02-20 12:27:00
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