About the House Chamber
Since the early 1900s, state representatives have held their sessions in the House chamber on the north end of the third floor of the state Capitol. The 38th General Assembly in 1911 was the first to meet in the current state Capitol, even though work on the building had not been completed. Legislative assemblies before then met at Arkansas’s original capital building, known today as the Old State House, near Little Rock’s city center.
The House chamber is an oval-shaped room with seating arrayed in four arced rows facing the Speaker’s desk, which sits atop a podium at the chamber’s north end. Seating among the 99 representatives on the floor of the House chamber is determined by seniority, and seat selections are made prior to the convening of each regular session.
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Positions below and in front of the Speaker's desk are reserved for legislative staff. Near the center of the House chamber, in an area known as the "well of the House," is a lectern from which speeches and presentations are made by representatives to their colleagues in the House. The floor of the House chamber slopes upward from the well to create clear lines of sight from the member desks to the lectern.
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A round opening at the top of the House chamber reveals a dome-shaped, stained glass ceiling, which is protected from the elements by a reinforced glass roof above it. At the center of the ceiling are an array of lights and a concealed loudspeaker system.
Hanging from the ceiling is a chandelier purchased in 1914 as part of a three-fixture set from Tiffany & Co. of New York. The other two chandeliers in the set now hang in the Capitol Rotunda and in the Senate Chamber. Supplemental spotlights later were attached to the frame of the House chandelier.
While marble is the material-of-choice for much of the Capitol’s interior, the columns in the House chamber are made of a combination of plaster, glue and pigment spread over brick columns to create the appearance of genuine stone. Italian artisans made famous the process of scagliola, a centuries old method of creating artificial marble and stone.
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On each desk is a microphone, which may be activated by a switchboard controlled by a staff person at a desk below the Speaker’s podium. During legislative sessions, microphones at member desks only are activated after the Speaker recognizes a member to speak. Also on each desk is a set of buttons used by members to vote. Members vote "present" when a daily roll call is taken. When votes are taken on questions before the House, members press the buttons to vote "yes," "no" or "present."
Members are provided keys that lock the voting mechanism on their desks. The current, computer-linked voting machine was installed in 1992. Large displays on the walls to either side of the Speaker’s podium provide details of votes as they are taken.
Because most representatives do not have private quarters at the Capitol, desks on the House floor become their office space when they are in Little Rock. Beginning in 1997, representatives were outfitted with portable computers for use in corresponding with constituents and in tracking legislation. The bill-tracking system is maintained by the Bureau of Legislative Research and can be monitored through the Bureau’s Internet site. Access to the House floor is restricted year round.
Public galleries above and to either side of the House floor provide opportunities for citizens to view proceedings. One section of the west gallery is reserved for the news media. House proceedings also are televised on Little Rock’s cable television system.