Monticello, Arkansas – During Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s balanced budget presentation to the state’s Joint Budget Committee on Jan. 11, he proposed funding for the University of Arkansas at Monticello’s College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources. “We have $841,000 in the budget, which is a new item, for the UAM College of Forestry in…
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Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 1-14-22
Pre-fiscal budget hearings began this week with the Governor outlining his balanced budget proposal calling for a 3.3% increase in spending. We will be reviewing the proposal while we continue to hear requests from state agencies and commissions in the days ahead. As we prepare for the 2022 Fiscal Session, we want to remind you…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 1-7-22
January is known as Human Trafficking Awareness Month. It is a time for us to educate ourselves about human trafficking and learn to spot the signs of trafficking. Human trafficking, also known as trafficking in persons or modern-day slavery, is a crime that involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services or…
Weekly column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 12-30-21
The Arkansas General Assembly will convene for the 2022 Fiscal Session on Monday, February 14. Preparations for that session will begin in the next two weeks. Beginning January 11, the Joint Budget Committee will hold a series of meetings designed to begin the process of outlining a budget for the next fiscal year. Budget hearings…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 12-22-21
From reducing income tax to lowering the sales tax on used cars, there are several pieces of tax legislation passed in 2021 that will take effect on January 1, 2022. In the most recent special session, the General Assembly passed Act 1 and Act 2, which are identical pieces of legislation that reduce the top…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 12-17-21
From filling out a job application to completing a homework assignment, the vast majority of our day-to-day lives are dependent on internet access. It is no longer a luxury, and now is a critical time for our state to close the digital divide. Arkansas ranks 41st in state broadband access rating according to Broadbandnow.com. The…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 12-10-21
Legislation providing the largest state income tax reduction in state history has now been signed into law. Act 1 and Act 2 are identical pieces of legislation passed by the 93rd General Assembly in the special session held this week. These acts will reduce the top income tax rate for individuals from 5.9% to 4.9%…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 12-2-21
The General Assembly is scheduled to convene for an Extraordinary Session on Tuesday, December 7. The Arkansas Constitution says Extraordinary Sessions, often referred to as special sessions, can only be called by the Governor. The Governor announced this week he is calling the session to address tax cuts and several miscellaneous items of legislation. The…
Small businesses are the heartbeat of our neighborhoods and the lifeblood of our local economy
In Arkansas, small businesses make up the majority of the business landscape, at 99.3% of all businesses in the state. This equates to 258,552 businesses. Small businesses can be found in every corner of our state. Small Business Saturday is the day after Black Friday. It is a day to celebrate and support small businesses…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives-November 19, 2021
Next week, most of us will gather around a table with family and friends and think about the things we are most thankful for. This year, we encourage you to think about the men and women who helped bring your meal to the table. Arkansas farmers made not only your meal but countless meals across…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 11-12-21
Right now, there are about 349 children and teens in Arkansas whose parents’ parental rights have been terminated and are currently seeking a forever family. November is National Adoption Month. It is a time to encourage others to learn about adoption and recognize the many children who are still waiting. Recently, the Division of Children…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 11-5-21
Arkansas is home to more than 200,000 veterans. They live and work in every community throughout our state. As we approach Veterans Day, we would like to thank our veterans for their sacrifice, their bravery, and the example they set for us all. The majority of Arkansas veterans served in Vietnam. We are home to…
Kendall Rawls sworn in as new investigator for the Arkansas Department of Agriculture
Local law enforcement officer Kendell Rawls, formerly with the Bradley County Sheriff’s Department, was sworn in recently as a new investigator for the Arkansas Department of Agriculture. Billy Black, Law Enforcement Chief of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, swore in Rawls. Rawls is a Warren native, a 2005 graduate of Warren High School, and has…
State Senator Jim Hendren addresses SE Political Animals
At a meeting of the Southeast Arkansas Political Animals Club conducted October 29 in Monticello, State Senator Jim Hendren spoke to those present about Common Ground Arkansas. The organization was founded in January 2021 and aims “to bridge the partisan divide and restore civility and accountability to Arkansas politics.” “The organization is led by pro-business…
Arkansas Business Hall of Fame Class of 2022 named
Peggy Clark, George Cleason, Tom Faust and Ginger Graham have been selected to the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame as the class of 2022. FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Sam M. Walton College of Business and the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame Board have named four leaders in the timber, banking, investment and bio-pharmaceutical industries to…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 10-29-21
According to the American Diabetes Association, approximately 363,781 people in Arkansas, or 14.8% of the adult population, have diabetes. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and the number one cause of kidney failure, lower-limb amputations, and adult blindness. In the last 20 years, the number of adults nationwide diagnosed…
What is your knowledge of Anaplasmosis?
The University of Arkansas is currently conducting a survey on cattle producer awareness of anaplasmosis risk and transmission to livestock in Arkansas. Anaplasmosis turns an animal’s immune system against itself, destroying both healthy and infected red blood cells, which can starve the animal of oxygen. In some cases, anaplasmosis can cause calves to be aborted…
2020 Census numbers show loss in population for most of South Arkansas
A recent copy of “City and Town” magazine, a publication of the Arkansas Municipal League has listed the 2020 populations of the 500 municipalities of Arkansas, showing Warren’s recorded population as 5,453. This information is provided by the United States Census Bureau. The numbers show the total population of Arkansas at 3,011,534, with 66.5 percent…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives October 15, 2021
According to the Arkansas Department of Health, 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer. It is the most common form of cancer and the second leading cause of death among women. In 2018, there were 2,339 new breast cancer cases and 368 cancer deaths in the state. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an…
Governor Hutchinson allows vaccine mandate, redistricting bills to become law without his signature
LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson won’t sign any of the bills that the members of the 93rd General Assembly sent to him last week, he announced today. Senate Bill 739 and House Bill 1977 and Senate Bill 743 and House Bill 1982 will become law without his signature.The vaccine bills “are unnecessary,” Governor Hutchinson…
Statewide fall drug take back to occur Oct. 23rd
LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge is reminding Arkansans about the importance of the upcoming Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 23rd. The biannual event is an opportunity for Arkansans to clean out their medicine cabinets, taking any unused or expired medications to one of the State’s more than 270 drop-off…