LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — State Senator Stephanie Flowers (D- Pine Bluff) has been censured by the Arkansas Senate after calling Senator Trent Garner (R- El Dorado) a "dumba**" during a meeting of the Senate.
The moment happened as legislators were discussing a resolution that would "commemorate American history."
The resolution proposed that Arkansans learn about the people mentioned in the text and to "celebrate the contributions of all Americans, especially those of African-Americans during Black History Month."
Several legislators from both sides of the aisle noticed inaccuracies in the resolution, which incorrectly stated that President John F. Kennedy was president in 1960. Kennedy wasn't sworn in as president until 1961.
It ultimately failed to pass, with only four Republican senators voting for it.
But during the discussion, Sen. Garner was responding to another comment made by Sen. Jim Hendren (R- Gravette), who called the resolution "probably the worst resolution" he's ever seen.
Garner brought up that although a resolution has "no weight of law behind it," the Senate majority could make "positional stands on issues that we typically don't get to."
Flowers interrupted Garner to say that he wasn't talking about the resolution specifically while he was talking about his constituents.
"He's not speaking on this resolution," Flowers said. "He's talking about China and Venezuela and all kinds of stuff."
Lieutenant Governor Tim Griffin then warned Flowers that he would cut her mic, but she responded that she would cut her own mic off.
"Let him finish, you don't have to agree with it," Griffin said.
Garner continued to talk and that's when Flowers interrupted again saying, "You dumba**, you don't know nothing about it."
Senator Missy Irvin (R- Mountain View) then asked the senate to vote on censuring Flowers.
The motion to censure Flowers passed by voice vote.
Griffin told senators that they would have to decide how the censure worked on their own terms.