Harriman: Beebe watching federal stimulus package moves

The office of Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe has dedicated a staffer to the full-time watch of the Congressional actions to push a federal stimulus package, according to this interesting report from Roby Brock.

Brock, a content partner with The City Wire, recently interviewed Morril Harriman, Beebe’s chief of staff and former long-time state Senator from Van Buren, about Beebe’s interest in securing the best possible federal stimulus results.

Details of the interview with Harriman include:

• Harriman said his best guess at a timeframe for the final version (of the federal stimulus bill) is mid-February, but that’s not stopping behind-the-scenes maneuvering to position Arkansas to optimize its opportunities.

• “There is a possibility that we will need to craft certain legislation once we see the final rules, regulations and numbers of a stimulus plan,” Harriman said.

• “We think that there is a possibility that we can use funding such as that to match additional federal funding to even increase our efforts toward the development of alternative energy resources in the state,” Harriman said.

• Harriman said Beebe has been on the phone with members of the congressional delegation discussing state needs. He has also tried to convey several concerns. For starters, Harriman said the state doesn’t want to use the stimulus money to start new programs. He also hopes that as much discretion as possible is given to the states.