LITTLE ROCK, AR - In response to the completion of an Arkansas state vehicle review for the Department of Finance and Administration (DF&A) on Oct. 5, Governor Mike Beebe issued a new executive order regarding state vehicles, replacing a policy more than 20 years old, according to a release from the governor's office.

Executive Order EO 10-14, effective Nov. 1, creates specific classifications detailing which employees will be assigned state vehicles and vacates previous commuter exemptions. State employees using a commuting waiver under the old directive will need to reapply under the new system, according to the release.

State vehicles can be assigned to individuals whose responsibilities require regular travel from their homes to job assignments if those locations vary on a regular basis (e.g., for audit business, checking scales, monitoring pollution), but not for commuting to a single state office. Vehicles can also be assigned to law enforcement officers and emergency-response employees or officials.

The EO further states that the DF&A will prepare an annual inventory report on all state vehicles, to be available for viewing online.

The governor's office calls the review "the largest and most comprehensive collection of Arkansas state-vehicle information ever assembled." It is available for public review with a searchable database at DF&A's Web site. The state currently operates 8,771 units.

Beebe ordered the review in August because of inconsistent fleet data from state officials.

In response to the executive order, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, which currently lists 658 units for 613 employees, adopted a new policy to reduce its assigned vehicles on Oct. 6. It expects to reduce its fleet by up to 165 vehicles by asking employees who spends less than 60 percent of their time in the field, or who do not require full-time use of a vehicle to carry out their duties, to give up their assigned vehicle, according to theArkansas Democrat Gazette.