Rep. Collins joining Department of Finance & Administration

Exiting State Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, is joining the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration in January.

Collins, a former chairman of the House Revenue and Tax Committee, was defeated in his bid for a fifth term by State Rep.-elect Denise Garner, D-Fayetteville. He was first elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2010.

In his DF&A role, Collins will serve as Budget and Policy Manager. He will be paid $95,381 annually and begins on January 2, 2019. In this position he will perform “professional analysis and research of complex and critical issues” that impact the state budget, regulation or policy, according to DF&A officials.

“With knowledge of the budget from a legislative perspective and years of experience at Fortune 500 companies, along with an undergraduate degree in economics from the U.S. Naval Academy and an M.A. in Quantitative Economics from George Washington University, he brings a unique skill set to DFA,” DF&A spokesman Scott Hardin confirmed by email on Friday (Dec. 28).

As a legislator, Collins was the primary sponsor of a controversial measure to allow for concealed carry gun owners to bring their licensed weapons on college campuses.