Copenhaver, Smith Tackle Taxes, Health Care And Teacher Insurance In District 58 Race

A first-term Democratic legislator is facing a challenge from a self-described Tea Party conservative in a district that encompasses a large swath of the city of Jonesboro.

Republican Dr. Brandt Smith and Democratic State Rep. Harold Copenhaver, both of Jonesboro, are running for the House District 58 seat, which includes a portion of the Arkansas State University campus in its northeastern corner.

Copenhaver is seeking a second term, having defeated former State Rep. Jon Hubbard 53-47% in the 2012 general election.

Smith teaches security and global studies courses for the online American Military University, while Copenhaver owns an insurance agency in Jonesboro.

Smith said his experience working in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as working in foreign countries, has taught him about budgeting.

“Prior to going to Iraq, I worked in humanitarian aid in China, Burma and Laos. There will always be human suffering. If a project came to my desk, raising money, I would ask, ‘Is what I am able to do sustainable? Is it reproducible?’” Smith said. “You see in state government, you see a lot of great ideas but is it sustainable? I would say that I am a Tea Party Republican. I am conservative, but you must be accountable to needs.”

Copenhaver said his first term in the 100-member chamber has given him an opportunity to work on two key issues – child safety and a statewide reorganization of the state’s 911 system.

On the child safety issue, Copenhaver said he sponsored a bill (HB 1894), which later became law, that requires childcare facilities and schools in the state to file a copy of their facility floor plans with emergency management coordinators in their county.

As for the 911 issue, Copenhaver said a recent committee meeting held in Jonesboro showed the reason for the change.

“It is definitely needed. Earlier this year, Jonesboro was out for 45 minutes due to the weather (due to straight line winds that reached 70 miles per hour),” Copenhaver said, noting the storm made communications difficult throughout the area.

As vice-chair of the State & Public School Life & Health Insurance task force, Copenhaver also found himself front-and-center in two special sessions dealing with a public school employee insurance crisis. Partially through his efforts, Arkansas lawmakers added extra money, curtailed high cost procedures, and restricted part-time workers and spouses of school employees from participating in the troubled insurance plan.

Still, long-term fixes are needed.

Copenhaver said the special session, with $171 million in funding added to the program, was the first step in a plan to create long-term stability with the teacher insurance program.

“We did it without any additional funding and from a business standpoint,” Copenhaver said.

A plan for school districts to take on the funding in the future is not likely to happen, Copenhaver said, noting it will likely be a combination of employees, school districts and the state building the plan’s future.

A task force that was created in the aftermath of the session brought up good ideas, including getting younger teachers involved in the program, Copenhaver said.

Smith called the special session earlier this year on the issue a “bipartisan effort” that helped to stave off large premium increases for teachers.

“It was a quick fix for a long-term problem,” Smith said. “There will be more discussion and putting pencil to paper next session. We need to go in the right direction. If elected, I will definitely jump in to help.”

Smith also said the issue is complex.

“If anyone tells you they have it figured out, they probably don’t know the answer to the question,” Smith said.

PRIVATE OPTION
Both candidates differed on their opinion on the so-called Private Option law, which will be up for a reauthorization vote next year.

“I had no vote on the Obamacare implementation,” Copenhaver said. “But Arkansas was dealt a hand. With a Republican legislature and a Democratic governor, I have to look at how it affects my district and how it affects Northeast Arkansas.”

Copenhaver said he recently received numbers from a local hospital about the impact the law has had.

“They said they have had 9,310 (Private Option enrollees) between January and July, with over $6 million in collections,” Copenhaver said. “Their ER visits are down two percent and the self-paid admissions have dropped 35%. As for business, the health providers have hired more staff and it has provided more stability. There are some kinks to work out. There is no doubt that an adjustment will be made. But nine states are looking at Arkansas for their law. Also, Gov. Beebe has announced there is a two percent decrease in insurance premiums versus the average increase.”

Smith said the new law has definite problems.

“Every time we think we have it figured out, something changes,” Smith said of the law. “I am opposed to the Private Option because I am opposed to federal mandates. Legislatively, I would vote no. It was rammed down their throats five or six times and they eventually got it done. I think everyone needs insurance but it may not be sustainable. They have already reached the caps. There are some who say we can raise taxes but we are overtaxed as it is. We have to meet a legitimate need but how do we verify the legitimate need of the individual.”

OTHER ISSUES
Smith said he supports cutting taxes and keeping a tight watch on spending.

“People want to see their taxes reduced. We can spend (money) any way we want but we can spend it only one time,” Smith said. “(In Little Rock), the priorities, it may be A to Z on the first day and Z to A on the next. I would talk to the thinkers at the top colleges in Arkansas, get all of them involved. We need to have a lot more discernment and rational thinking, have selflessness involved. And take the smart ideas to the people.”

On taxes, Copenhaver said the legislature faced some difficult issues in the 2013 session.

“On taxation, in Arkansas, we have a balanced budget. So when you cut $155 million (out of the budget due to tax cuts), there will be some reaction,” Copenhaver said. “We had a $5 billion budget and there were $2 billion in tax cut requests. By the time we got done, it was down to $155 million.”

Copenhaver said he would like to work on economic development, infrastructure and education issues if voters re-elect him in the fall.

“With the steel mill (Big River Steel), they need welders. With PECO, they have already broken ground. The property values are going up and people are buying houses,” Copenhaver said. “A lot of things are happening in Northeast Arkansas.”

Smith said he would like to work on the state’s school choice law if elected this fall.

“I am a proponent of school choice. I believe parents ought to have the right and choice on their child’s school, whether it is public, private, parochial or religious. My kids and my grandkids went to Valley View. We have a grandchild at Ridgefield Christian (a religious school in Jonesboro) in pre-kindergarten. Because they maxed out at Valley View.”