Talk Business & Politics Daily: The Sen. Joyce Elliott makes international headlines edition

Tuesday’s Talk Business & Politics Daily digital newscast features State Sen. Joyce Elliott, D-Little Rock, who stakes out her top priorities for the 2017 legislative session. Elliott also discusses her approach to working with key Republicans and that iconic image of herself embracing former State Rep. Johnnie Roebuck at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia that made international headlines.

Elliott says as a Democrat, a liberal, a female and an African-American, she’s learned how to work across party aisles. She also names several Republicans she enjoys working with.

“One of the things I’ve always insisted on is holding my own self personally accountable for not getting caught up in my own echo chamber. The best way to do that is to be sure you have relationships with beyond your own echo chamber, and I really enjoy that.”

What’s on Sen. Elliott’s legislative agenda for the next session?

“I hope I’m able to put my name on a piece of legislation that really changes our accountability system in education,” she said. “Because all these years of using the system that we have, I think, we pretty much have evidence that it hasn’t worked really well.”

She says new federal law is pushing decision making for accountability back to the states and lower local levels. Elliott also said she wants to lead legislation on criminal justice reforms and she believes that pre-K will eventually get more funding in 2017.

Watch more of Elliott’s full interview below, including her emotional reflections on the Philadelphia embrace she had with Roebuck, as well as the latest on the home sales front and a follow up to our interview with independent Presidential candidate Evan McMullin.