by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, expects a bill that centers on power generation to move through the Senate soon. He also predicts success moving forward with funding for an $825 million state prison, and he said plans related to Medicaid costs will likely be revealed this week.

Hester, the president of the Arkansas State Senate, was a guest on this week’s edition of Talk Business & Politics.

Last week, SB307, the Generating Arkansas Jobs Act of 2025, failed by one vote in the Arkansas State Senate on Wednesday (March 5). The bill received 17 votes for, 11 votes against, four did not vote, and three voted present.

The measure would allow utilities and electric cooperatives to file annual riders with the state Public Service Commission (PSC). Those riders would allow them to increase rates annually before a new plant is fully capitalized, rather than the current system that enacts a larger rate increase near the end of the process. The commission would have to determine if the update is in the public interest.

Senate President Hester says prison can be built for $825M, expects Medicaid moves this week

LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson today announced his appointment of Katie Anderson of Scott as Chairman of the Public Service Commission.

Anderson currently serves as an Administrative Law Judge for the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission. She is also a Vice President of I.F. Anderson Farms, Inc. in Lonoke, a 4th generation family-owned bait fish farm in operation since 1949.

She previously served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Erin L. Wiedemann, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Arkansas; the Honorable Audrey R. Evans, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas; and the Honorable Karen R. Baker, Judge, Arkansas Court of Appeals.

From 2012 - 2015 she was Senior Manager of the State and Local Policy Team for Walmart Stores, Inc. Anderson is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas School of Law.

“Katie has proven to be a fair arbiter of important issues throughout her career,” Governor Hutchinson said. “I'm confident she will bring a fair and balanced approach to matters before the Public Service Commission. She has served the state well as an Administrative Law Judge and her judicial temperament and sense of fairness make her a good fit in the Public Service Commission.”

“I want to thank Governor Hutchinson for his confidence and trust in me to serve as Chairman of the Public Service Commission,” Anderson said. “I am truly honored to accept this appointment, and I am beyond grateful for this opportunity. In this new capacity, I will continue to serve the people of Arkansas with the utmost level of integrity and professionalism.”

Anderson will replace Chairman Ted Thomas, and her start date is October 2, 2022. She will serve the remainder of Thomas’s term which expires January 14, 2027.