Lockheed Martin Superproject Bill Signed Into Law
by May 29, 2015 3:22 pm 135 views
On Friday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed into law bills passed during the legislative special session and announced that five counties have been aded to the state’s disaster declaration after taking a helicopter tour of flooded areas.
As expected, legislators approved an $87 million bond issue to help Lockheed Martin land a Pentagon contract to build 55,000 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, the successor to the Humvee. Asked about Lockheed’s chances of winning the contract, he said, “There’s not any guarantee, and I think it’s wise to make sure that the public understands that we would not even have a chance if the Legislature had not convened and taken these steps to provide competitive pricing.”
Legislators agreed to move the 2016 primaries to March 1 to coincide with primaries held in other Southern states, an event billed as the “SEC primary.” Meanwhile, next year’s fiscal session was moved to April after the primaries.
Hutchinson noted the idea was also debated in the regular session, when it did not pass. He said he then had favored moving only the presidential primary. He said he was aware there “wasn’t a 100% consensus, but this was our last opportunity to do it.”
“I like the Legislature looking over my shoulder,” he said. “I like them second-guessing it and making sure that this is the right thing to do for Arkansas, and in the end, they concluded that it was. … I think in the end this will be good for Arkansans because they’ll have an incredible opportunity and an exciting opportunity to engage in the debate that we will see every night unfold over all the television stations and all the media outlets.”
Other legislation will combine four state agencies with three others, which Hutchinson said would save $10 million over five years.
“Small things matter when you’re looking out after the taxpayers’ money,” he said. Hutchinson said he will continue to try to make government more efficient.
In other business, a technical change was made in the state’s DWI law so as not to imperil federal funds. Another law was passed to ensure state law matches federal law regarding farm vehicle traffic on U.S. 63 in northeast Arkansas, which community leaders hope will be re-designated as Interstate 555.