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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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%…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – With the Medicare Open Enrollment Period fast approaching, the Arkansas Insurance Department (AID) Senior Health Insurance Information Program (AR SHIIP) offers free counseling to assist Arkansans who are eligible for Medicare. AR SHIIP connects Medicare beneficiaries as well as their families and caregivers with certified counselors statewide. The counselors provide guidance…
