Notes from the Campaign Trail: Reactions to the Governor’s highway plan

Editor’s note: Notes from the Campaign Trail is a compilation of various political insider tidbits and is sponsored by Little Rock-based Capitol Advisors Group.

REACTION TO THE GOVERNOR’S HIGHWAY PLAN: Gov. Asa Hutchinson outlined his proposal for short-term funding for the state’s highways. The $750 million, 10-year plan would not raise taxes and would largely extract money from the state’s rainy day fund, expected surpluses, and shifting diesel fuel tax collections and new used car sales taxes from general revenues to earmarked highway funding.

Some groups that came out quickly in support of the plan: the Arkansas Trucking Association, Association of Arkansas Counties, and Americans for Prosperity. Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families issued a statement opposing the general revenue shifting. Here are some quick quotes from those groups.

“Our industry supports the Governor’s proposals on highway funding… We are concerned about weight-restricted bridges, deferred maintenance on major corridors, congestion issues and how each of these impacts safety.” – Shannon Newton, Arkansas Trucking Association president.

“We are in support of the governor’s plan on highway funding… we’re encouraged that within the governor’s plan, counties will not suffer immediate detrimental adjustments to critical funding for local roadways. However, we want to continue the conversation about county road needs. Counties do have significant needs inroad funding, especially when it comes to county bridges.” – Chris Villines, Association of Arkansas Counties executive director.

“We applaud Gov. Hutchinson’s call to address our state’s highway needs by prioritizing existing resources and not asking motorists to pay more at the pump. The plan laid out by Governor Hutchinson today holds the line on motor fuel taxes while beginning to address the issue of General Improvement Funds, which have long needed reform.” – David Ray, state director of Americans for Prosperity-Arkansas.

“The governor’s plan to fund highways took a smaller than expected bite out of general revenue, but will ultimately hurt programs that are already facing major budget cuts… We are disappointed that the proposal did not include any plan to modernize the state’s gas tax to bring it into the 21st century. A modernized, indexed gas tax is the only reasonable way to keep up with rising highway maintenance costs without continually going back to the well of state general revenue.” – Rich Huddleston, executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families.

Also, State Rep. Andy Davis, R-Little Rock, has offered some thoughts on the governor’s plan and where things may go next, particularly in regards to legislative oversight. Read his opinion here.

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS: Gov. Hutchinson is on his way to a trade show in Las Vegas called SHOT, which stands for the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show. It’s one of the biggest collections of shooting, hunting and related outdoor, military, law enforcement or tactical products or services providers in the U.S. With Hutchinson’s law enforcement and federal agency background in homeland security as well as his NRA credentials, it’s a natural fit for him to look for economic prospects.

The governor has been working potential manufacturing leads tied to these industries since his first week on the job a year ago. You may recall that Hutchinson said he’d be making phone calls to recruit businesses to Arkansas on his first day on the job. Some of those prospects will be at this trade show. Expect to see one or more economic announcements out of this trade show in the next day or two.

RUBIO PICKS UP A FAMILIAR ENDORSEMENT TO ARKANSAS LAWMAKERS: GOP Presidential candidate Marco Rubio picked up an endorsement that will be familiar to many Arkansas lawmakers and those watching health care reform around the capitol. John Stephen with The Stephen Group, the consulting firm advising legislators on health care reform, announced his support for Rubio’s candidacy.

While Arkansans know John Stephen for his work at the state capitol, he’s an influential voice in New Hampshire politics. Stephen was the 2010 Republican governor nominee, losing the general election to then-incumbent Democrat John Lynch. Stephen once headed that state’s equivalent of the Department of Human Services. With the New Hampshire primary just weeks away (Feb. 9), the endorsement is a key one in the Granite State.

THE MONEY TRAIL: Three high-profile and hotly-contested State Senate races involve two incumbents and an open seat. The seats held by incumbents Jane English and Eddie Joe Williams and the seat opening up currently held by Jon Woods (who is not seeking re-election) are the most closely watched. Here’s what the money trail looks like for those races in terms of how much has been raised and cash-on-hand as of Dec. 31st.

Senate District 7
Rep. Lance Eads (R)
Cumulative Raised: $20,350 for the primary and $2,700 for the general election.
Ending Cash Balance: $15,234.77 for primary and $2,700 for the general.
Loans: $0

Sharon Lloyd (R)
Cumulative Raised: $34,575.35
Ending Cash Balance: $1,575.56
Loans: $0

Senate District 29
Sen. Eddie Joe Williams (R)
Cumulative Raised: $117,859.35
Ending Cash Balance: $82,666.93
Loans: $5,000

R.D. Hopper (R)
Cumulative Raised: $15,907.50
Ending Cash Balance: $763.13
Loans: $50,070.77

Senate District 34
Sen. Jane English (R)
Cumulative Raised: $82,436
Ending Cash Balance: $59,367
Loans: $0

Rep. Donnie Copeland (R)
Cumulative Raised: $31,130.27
Ending Cash Balance: $16,856.49
Loans: $0