by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Sunday (April 2) that he will run for U.S. President in the 2024 election cycle.
In an interview that aired Sunday with ABC reporter Jonathan Karl on This Week, Hutchinson declared his candidacy.
“I have made a decision and my decision is I’m going to run for President of the United States,” the former Republican governor said.
KUAR | By Wesley Brown / Arkansas Advocate
A mild recession and a holiday spending hangover. That’s what economic forecasters predict for 2023 as lawmakers head to the state Capitol in January.
Rising interest rates and persistent inflation will push the economy into a downturn, experts say, and those economic clouds could also cause the 94th General Assembly to consider any robust spending programs in light of a possible nationwide slowdown.
As Gov. Asa Hutchinson winds down his administration, he recently reported to lawmakers that Arkansas’ budget coffers are overflowing with $2.78 billion of reserve funding.
Photo Courtesy Gov. Asa Hutchinson/Arkansasadvocate.Com
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (left) and Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Beebe) talk before Hutchinson presents his fiscal year 2024 state budget at the Nov. 10, 2022, meeting of the Legislature’s Joint Budget Committee. The budget projects a surplus despite forecasts of a mild recession in 2023.
by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)
Arkansas business leaders joined Gov. Asa Hutchinson Monday (Oct. 31) in calling for voters to oppose Issue 4, the general election ballot measure that would legalize adult use cannabis. At a news conference at the headquarters of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce in Little Rock, the industry representatives said legalizing recreational marijuana would compound problems for workforce recruitment and safety.
Issue 4 supporters said the arguments were no different than when medical marijuana was proposed in 2016, and that Arkansas businesses have not suffered since its passage.
Leaders from the trucking, construction and agricultural industries joined Hutchinson in condemning the proposal.
LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson today announced his appointment of Mark White of Bryant as the Secretary of the Department of Human Service. He will replace Cindy Gillespie.
White currently serves as Chief of Staff and Chief Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Officer. He represents DHS before the Arkansas Legislature and serves as a primary point of contact for legislators, elected officials, lobbyists, and other state agencies. He was also appointed by the Governor to serve on the Arkansas Health Services Permit Commission.
Since he first joined DHS in 2013, he has served in a variety of capacities including work in the Secretary’s Office, the Office of Chief Counsel, and the Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services.
In 2017, Governor Asa Hutchinson appointed him to the Governor’s Transformation Advisory Board, which helped lay the groundwork for the reorganization of state government culminating in the Transformation and Efficiencies Act of 2019.
He is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University and the University of Arkansas School of Law.
“I have the utmost confidence in Mark to lead the Department of Humans Services. His breadth of experience, working relationship with the legislature, and his close working relationship with transformation within DHS makes him the perfect fit to lead a department that provides critical services to children, senior citizens, and provides health care needs to the most vulnerable Arkansans.” Governor Hutchinson said.
“I am grateful to Governor Hutchinson for the opportunity to lead the Department of Human Services as we serve the people of Arkansas. The mission of DHS is to improve the quality of life for all Arkansans by protecting the vulnerable, fostering independence, and promoting better health,” White said. “Secretary Cindy Gillespie has led DHS in making great strides to pursue this mission, and I look forward to working with the Governor and the Arkansas General Assembly in continuing that good work.”
White's term will begin October 8, 2022, and his salary will be $201,700.
LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson today announced that Cindy Gillespie will resign as Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
“Cindy Gillespie has given the state of Arkansas her experience, management capabilities, and the right ideas that have led us in a great direction,” Governor Hutchinson said. “She is a great friend, and she is truly passionate about making a difference in the lives of Arkansans every day.”
Secretary Gillespie issued this response reflecting on her time in public service for the State of Arkansas.
“In 2016, when Governor Hutchinson offered me the role leading the Arkansas Department of Human Services, I could not have imagined all that would happen in the coming years, nor did I realize how quickly Arkansas would become my home and the employees at DHS become my family. The last six years have been the most challenging and rewarding of my career and I am extraordinarily proud of all the incredible DHS team has accomplished over these years. “We care, we act, we change lives” is more than a motto at DHS - it’s truly the mission my co-workers live each day as they go to work in our facilities, our offices, and in the homes of families and individuals in need.
The continuing focus Governor and First Lady Hutchinson have had on the safety, health, and future of children has guided so much of my work here, and I have benefitted from the Governor’s steadfast support, leadership, and the model of servant leadership he set. It has been an honor to be part of his Cabinet.
I am also grateful to the members of the Arkansas General Assembly for their guidance and support over the years. Many of them spent countless hours working with me on policy, legislation, and issues, and I have appreciated their dedication to the constituents they serve and to ensuring Arkansans thrive.
Although it is bittersweet to leave, I appreciate the Governor understanding that family must always come first, so I will need to depart in October.”
Before joining DHS in 2016, Gillespie served as a Principal in the Washington D.C. office of Dentons’ Public Policy and Regulation practice and a leader of the firm’s Health Policy and Health Insurance Exchange Teams. Earlier, Gillespie served as a senior advisor to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, where she led the Commonwealth of Massachusetts interactions with the federal government and oversaw the development and implementation of the Administration’s executive branch initiatives, including playing a leading role in the development of Massachusetts health reforms.
Prior to her government service in Massachusetts, Ms. Gillespie served as a senior executive for the not-for-profit Salt Lake Olympic Committee, responsible for hosting the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games, and as a director at the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, the non-profit hosting the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. She was recognized both nationally and internationally for her leadership in developing a unique public-private partnership between federal, state, and local government and the organizing committees for staging the Games in the U.S. She is a graduate of Trevecca Nazarene College in Nashville, TN, and has a master’s degree from Auburn University in Alabama. She is a native of Columbus, Georgia.
Governor Hutchinson will announce a successor to Secretary Gillespie at a later date.
Secretary Gillespie’s last day in the DHS office will be October 7, 2022.
by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)
The Office of Skills Development (OSD) is investing $3.3 million to train new broadband and telecommunication industry workers in an effort to close the gap in the state’s digital infrastructure.
The Fiber Broadband and Telecommunications Working Group – a partnership of industry leaders, state government, and educators – has identified areas where workforce training can produce strategic results.
“The past several months have shown us that reliable high-speed internet is no longer a luxury, it is a necessary way of life,” said Gov. Asa Hutchinson. “As a rural state, it is even more imperative that Arkansans have the same opportunities as citizens in urban areas. Now that we are making strides to bring broadband to every corner of the state, we need workers to build and implement the infrastructure. Today, we not only celebrate the progress we are making to ensure all Arkansans have access to broadband for school, work, and leisure, but we celebrate the creation of high-tech jobs in a growing sector.”
KUAR | By Ronak Patel
In next month’s special session of the Arkansas Legislature, Gov. Asa Hutchinson and lawmakers say they will try to provide tax relief for Arkansans struggling with inflation.
One item on the agenda will be making changes to a tax deduction known as Section 179, which is used by businesses to help pay for equipment. Lawmakers want the state’s deduction rate to match the federal government’s.
Currently, Arkansas provides a deduction of up to $25,000 for equipment costing up to $200,000 with a phase out beginning after that point. Scott Hardin, director of communications for the Department of Finance and Administration, said the amount deducted is also determined based on the taxable income of the business.
Arkansas Week/
Gov. Asa Hutchinson says lawmakers are discussing strategies for providing economic relief to Arkansans during next month's special session.
KUAR | By Daniel Breen
Gov. Asa Hutchinson is criticizing state lawmakers for abruptly changing spending rules concerning federal dollars already appropriated to public schools.
Members of the Arkansas Legislative Council last week voted to rescind $500 million in spending authority from the Department of Education. That money, from the American Rescue Plan’s Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund, or ESSER, had already been appropriated to the Education Department for schools to use mainly for improvements, hiring and retention.
Lawmakers instead proposed requiring schools to use the funding to provide bonuses of $5,000 to teachers and $2,500 to staff, and for districts to submit detailed spending plans to the committee for approval.
Daniel Breen/KUAR News
Gov. Asa Hutchinson greets a member of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators at the group's annual summer meeting at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock Monday.
LITTLE ROCK – I signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Israel Innovation Authority this week, and today I’d like to talk about what this means to Arkansas.
On Tuesday, my economic development team gathered with Dr. Ami Appelbaum, Chairman of the Innovation Authority, and Livia Link, Consul General of Israel. We gathered at the Melrose Hotel in Washington for the signing ceremony.
Dr. Appelbaum and I signed copies of the agreement in English and in Hebrew.
This agreement affirms the mutual interest of Arkansas and Israel to share ideas and to work together to produce technology that will benefit our nations and the world.
In the official language of the MOU, the purpose of this agreement is to promote activities to foster mutual cooperation in the innovation and development of technology.
I met Dr. Appelbaum last year when I was in Israel for the Prime Minister’s Smart Mobility Summit. This MOU is a logical next step to strengthen our robust relationship with one of the United States’ most important allies. It affirms the deep friendship and mutual respect between Arkansas and Israel.
Our relationship with the Jewish community dates to 1823 when businessman Abraham Block and his family were the first Jewish family to take up residence in Arkansas. Mr. Block and his sons opened businesses in four Arkansas counties, in New Orleans, and in Texas. The Blocks’ home in Washington is a museum in Historic Washington State Park.
I have had the privilege of expressing our support of Israel by signing bills that allow Arkansas to invest in Israel bonds and that prohibit state and local governments from conducting business with companies that boycott Israel.
As Israel’s ambassador said at the bill signing that day in August 2017, we were sending a message that Arkansas stands against hate and against anti-Semitism, and that Arkansas stands with Israel.
This agreement is a natural progression of our relationship with Israel.
My friendships within the Arkansas Jewish community have led to many personally enriching opportunities, such as participating in the annual Menorah lighting ceremony in Little Rock. I was equally enriched by the brief time we spent with our friends from Israel on Tuesday.
As I prepared to sign the Hebrew version of the MOU, I suggested that I was going to use my Hebrew name, which brought some laughter. The joke, of course, is that Asa is a Hebrew name.
Now that we have signed the MOU, we will explore what’s next in this mutually beneficial partnership between two leaders in innovation and technology as we embark on the next stage of our long relationship.
KUAR | By Josie Lenora, Daniel Breen
A decision by a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit challenging Arkansas’ new districts in the state House of Representatives is being appealed by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Arkansas State Conference NAACP and the Arkansas Public Policy challenged the new map arguing it dilutes the power of Black voters. The map was approved by the state Board of Apportionment, which is made up of Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and Secretary of State John Thurston, all Republicans.
ARCAN/Arkansas PBS
Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston, Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge confer before the start of a meeting on Nov. 29, 2021 in which new legislative maps were approved.
On Monday, the 93rd General Assembly will convene at the State Capitol to address the budget for Fiscal Year 2023.
Fiscal Sessions began after Arkansas voters approved what would become Amendment 86 in 2008. This will be the 7th Fiscal Session held in state history.
Governor Asa Hutchinson is expected to address the General Assembly shortly after we convene at noon, February 14.
During the address, the Governor will outline his budget proposal. Previously, in budget hearings the Governor recommended a 3.3% increase in spending. His proposal included increases for state police salaries and more funding for services for Arkansans with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Governor has also said publicly he will be asking the legislature to direct a portion of surplus funds for a state prison expansion.
The latest revenue report from the Department of Finance and Administration shows net available general revenue at $275 million or 7.1% above this time last year.
All appropriation bills will be heard first in the Joint Budget Committee. That committee has spent several weeks reviewing agency proposals.
By Friday afternoon of this week, more than 90 budget bills had been filed in the House. And more than 80 bills had been filed in the Senate.
If the General Assembly is to take up any bills outside the scope of the budget, they must first have a 2/3 vote in both chambers for a resolution describing the bill. The deadline for those resolutions is by the end of the first day of the session, February 14.
The deadline for filing both appropriation bills and non-appropriation bills is Monday, February 28.
Amendment 86 states that each Fiscal Session shall not exceed 30 days. The Fiscal Session may be extended one time, however, for no more than 15 days, by a ¾ vote of both the House and Senate.
We will continue to update you during this upcoming session. You can find the daily agendas and watch the meetings live at www.arkansashouse.org.
KUAR | By Steve Brawner / Talk Business & Politics
Published January 19, 2022 at 4:19 PM CST
Arkansas’ public schools are now in their third school year that’s been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but educators at least now have plenty of practice, and they have federal dollars to help them deal with the learning loss that’s occurred.
Arkansas schools sent all their students home at the end of the spring 2020 semester when Gov. Asa Hutchinson declared a state of emergency, but the state chose to open all its schools to in-person learning in 2020-21. In the fall semester of 2021, 64% of students were learning onsite, while 22.3% were studying remotely and another 13.5% were engaged in a hybrid model.
This year, only 4% of the state’s public school students are attending school using digital learning plans, and only 165 of the state’s school districts submitted plans that were approved through the State Board of Education.
KARK News
In-class instruction was again disrupted as cases of COVID-19 again surged in Arkansas this month.
LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson has appointed Steven M. Anthony to the Arkansas Racing Commission.
Mr. Anthony was born in Fayetteville and grew up in Fordyce, where he graduated from high school in 1979. He is president of Anthony Timberlands Inc. (ATI).
“Steven Anthony is Arkansas to his core,” Governor Hutchinson said today. “He grew up working in his family’s timber business, which was founded in 1907. He knows the law, and he knows how to run a business. The racing commission will be an even stronger agency with the benefit of his legal education, his professional network, and his life experience.”
Mr. Anthony, the son of John E. Anthony of Hot Springs and Mary Lynn Dudley of Little Rock, graduated summa cum laude from Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, in 1983 with a degree in business administration. He received a juris doctorate from the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville.
Mr. Anthony’s timber company manages five Arkansas sawmills, several secondary processing facilities, and 180,000 acres of timberland in south-central Arkansas.
He is past chairman of the Arkansas Forestry Commission, and past president of the Arkansas Forestry Association and the Southern Forest Products Association. He serves on the board of directors of the Bank of Bearden and on the executive committee of the Arkansas Forestry Association.
He and his wife, Gay, live in Fordyce. They have two sons, Addison, who works at Anthony Hardwood Composites in Sheridan, and Wilson, who works at Anthony Timberlands. They also have four grandchildren.
Mr. Anthony’s term will expire January 14, 2027. He replaces Butch Rice, whose five-year term expires today.
by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)
State officials hope to have preliminary tornado damage estimates in Northeast Arkansas done by Friday (Dec. 17) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Gov. Asa Hutchinson toured hard-hit Trumann on Thursday (Dec. 16) and said the uninsured damage levels have to reach at least $5 million for FEMA aid to kick in.
To receive a federal disaster declaration which would prompt FEMA aid, the damage has to be uninsured losses that in totality reach that threshold. The governor said he thinks it will be met and he expects many of the homes in the region to be declared total losses.
Hutchinson has spoken with President Joe Biden and the president told him the federal government will move swiftly to provide public and private aid if the threshold is reached.
https://talkbusiness.net/2021/12/gov-hutchinson-tours-tornado-ravaged-trumann/
KUAR | By Michael Hibblen, Remington Miller
As an Arkansas lawmaker remains adamant about introducing abortion legislation similar to a Texas law that is the most restrictive in the nation, Planned Parenthood says it will resume offering medication abortions at its clinic in Rogers.
State Sen. Jason Rapert, a Republican of Conway, said he has a meeting scheduled next week with Gov. Asa Hutchinson to discuss a special session the governor wants to call for the legislature to consider a tax cut package. The session was initially planned to begin on Oct. 25, but Hutchinson said he would wait because of concerns about unrelated issues being introduced.
Michael Hibblen/KUAR News
Arkansas state Sen. Jason Rapert, seen here in 2017, said he remains determined to introduce abortion legislation similar to a recently-enacted Texas law if Gov. Asa Hutchinson calls a special session of the Arkansas General Assembly.
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 said, and the debate hurt efforts to convince hesitant Arkansans to get vaccinated.
The Governor is concerned that the boundaries of new Congressional election maps, especially the division of Pulaski County, will harm minority populations, he said.
Governor Hutchinson’s full statements about his decision follow:
Senate Bill 739/House Bill 1977
“Today, I have on my desk Senate Bill 739 and House Bill 1977, which are similar bills passed by wide margins in the General Assembly.
“These bills are unnecessary, and the conversation has been harmful to our goal of encouraging vaccines. For those reasons I will not sign the bills into law with my signature. I will allow them to become law without signing.
“These two bills are designed to push back on President Biden’s vaccination mandate for federal contractors and employers with more than 100 employees.
“I am opposed to the current mandate by the Biden Administration, but the solution is not to place additional mandates on employers at the state government level. The solution is not to put employers in a squeeze play between state and federal law.
“Employers need the freedom to protect their employees and their customers, and government should not interfere with that freedom through mandates.
“While some Arkansans state they need the option to opt-out of the vaccine requirements and need to be provided reasonable accommodations if they choose not to take the vaccine, those protections are already in place.
“In fact, based upon the President’s announcement, it is anticipated that the federal mandate will allow for weekly testing for those individuals who do not wish to take the vaccine. Medical and religious exemptions are already in place for any vaccine requirements. Therefore, these bills are unnecessary and could interfere with the at-will employment status of the State of Arkansas and could be costly for employees.
“Further, SB739 and HB1977 create distrust and additional hesitancy regarding the COVID-19 vaccines. These vaccines are safe and have been carefully tested and evaluated. The FDA has a rigorous approval process, which the vaccines have passed. The vaccines are safe, and Arkansans need to get vaccinated, but not through mandates.
“Finally, one factor in my decision not to veto the legislation is the fact that the General Assembly defeated the emergency clause. The extra 90 days before the bills become law allow critical time to assess the harm and for the Courts to review the bills as well.”
Senate Bill 743/House Bill 1982
“The United States Constitution gives the Arkansas General Assembly the sole authority and responsibility to formulate the redistricting plan every ten (10) years for the four (4) congressional districts. If challenged, the judicial branch, as it has done in past years, will determine the constitutionality of the map.
“I am concerned about the impact of the redistricting plan on minority populations.
“While the percentage of the minority composition of the proposed map for three of the four districts does not differ much from the current percentages, the removal of minority areas in Pulaski County into two different districts raises concerns. I have been contacted by many asking me to veto the legislation. I decided not to veto the bills but instead to let them go into law without my signature. This will enable those who wish to challenge this redistricting plan in court to do so.
“In 1990, I was counsel in a case with the NAACP in which we challenged the congressional redistricting plan. While the court in that case determined the map did not violate the vote-dilution section of the Voting Rights Act and the plan did not constitute intentional discrimination, I learned from that experience the real concerns of the minority population about their equal opportunity to have an effective voice in elections. Fair and equitable maps are necessary for the integrity of our democratic society.
By DANIEL BREEN
The Arkansas Legislature has given final approval to a re-drawn map of the state’s four U.S. congressional districts that splits Pulaski County among three districts. The proposed map now awaits a signature from Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
With little debate, members of the state House and Senate passed identical versions of the map on Thursday. House Bill 1982, sponsored by Rep. Nelda Speaks, R-Mountain Home, passed the Senate by a vote of 21 to 12. Shortly afterward, the House approved Senate Bill 743, sponsored by Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock, on a vote of 53 to 35.
The proposal would trisect Pulaski County among the 1st, 2nd and 4th congressional districts. Most of Little Rock would remain in the 2nd District, while areas on the southeast edge of the city would go to the 4th District, currently represented in the U-S House by Republican Bruce Westerman. All of Pulaski County is currently in the 2nd District, represented by Republican French Hill of Little Rock.
https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/arkansas-lawmakers-approve-final-redistricting-map
A map that re-draws Arkansas' four U.S. congressional districts gained final approval from the legislature on Thursday.
CREDIT ARKANSAS LEGISLATURE
Gov. Asa Hutchinson says it will be up to the Arkansas General Assembly to decide whether to repeal a facemask ban in schools. It comes as parents are fearing for the safety of their children with the new academic year starting in a few weeks.
In response to the growing number of COVID-19 cases, one mother began a petition campaign on social media. “Tell the Republicans to Allow Schools to Protect Kids by Mandating Masks” was started last Tuesday and has already garnered more than 1,400 signatures.
By DANIEL BREEN
The highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to grow in Arkansas, resulting in a new surge in coronavirus hospitalizations.
The state added another 270 cases of COVID-19 Tuesday while another six Arkansans died from the disease caused by the coronavirus. The state currently has 4,645 active cases of COVID-19.
“This is the largest increase in hospitalizations since January. It is the largest increase in hospitalizations since we’ve had the vaccination available to prevent hospitalizations. And we have 55 added to the hospital rolls as a result of COVID-19,” Hutchinson said.
https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/arkansas-sees-largest-spike-covid-19-hospitalizations-january
Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks with reporters at the state Capitol in his weekly media briefing on July 6, 2021.
CREDIT GOVERNOR'S OFFICE / YOUTUBE
LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson has authorized a 90-day deployment of up to 40 members of the Arkansas National Guard to Texas to assist with security at the state’s border with Mexico.
“I have authorized this mission in response to an official request from Texas on the urgent matter at our southern border,” Governor Hutchinson said. “My hope is that our 90 days of support will improve the security of our country and reduce the adverse impact of illegal immigration on Arkansas.”
The 90-day deployment will be consistent with a training mission for the National Guard.