Author: Talk Business

Talk Business

Supporters, Opponents Gearing Up For Highway Bond Election

A Nov. 8 special election to potentially renew the state’s GARVEE bond highway program is only about 3 weeks away. You haven’t seen a lot of high-profile attention on either side of the issue, but several activities are in the works.

If approved, the bond issue would allow the state to authorize $575 million in bonds for interstate maintenance and repairs. The revenue stream to pay back the bonds would come from GARVEE revenue and an existing four-cent diesel fuel tax. GARVEE stands for "Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle," a pledge of future funds from the federal government for Arkansas highways.

Polls Show Beebe Hot, Pryor Not

Democrats are touting a compilation polling data out from Public Policy Polling that shows Gov. Mike Beebe has the highest approval rating of any governor in the country. Of those Arkansans polled, Beebe is approved of by 59 percent with only 22 percent disapproving. He truly seems to be the teflon man. Most Arkansans have made up their minds that they like him.

Sen. Mark Pryor, on the other hand, is one of the least liked Senators in Washington, according to the polling firm’s chart. Only 29 percent of Arkansans polled approve of Pryor, while 46 percent disapprove. Only two Senators, John McCain (R-AZ) and Bill Nelson (D-NE), come out worse.

It should also be noted that the data from the various states was not conducted at the same time. The polling data used from Arkansas was from January 2010 – which is why Sen. John Boozman is not listed. It would be interesting to see if these numbers have gone down any especially considering what the economy has done over the last year and half – illustrated by this chart from Roby Brock.

Also in April of this year, Talk Business and Hendrix College polled Beebe and Pryor in a statewide survey. At the time, Beebe had a job approval rating of 67%-22%. Pryor only held a 40%-36.5% positive approval rating. Click here to access those results.

Crawfishin’ English’s Unethical Action

In a post last week, I speculated how soon Rep. Jane "Crawfishin" English (R-??) would break another promise. Turns out we didn’t have to wait long. Jane English has broken a sacred promise to the voters by moving out of her State Rep. district just so she can further her political ambitions.

Another Delta Initiative Aims At Micro-lending

Delta leaders are adding another weapon to their arsenal for creating capital for entrepreneurial investments in the impoverished economic region.

Records Show Beebe’s Office Inquired About Replacing Black In March

A report presented last week by Arkansas Division of Legislative Audit paints a less than flattering picture of former Executive Director of the Arkansas Tobacco Settlement Commission (ATSC) Aaron Black. However, records obtained by the Tolbert Report show an effort was made by the Governor’s Office to replace Black months before the audit ever began.

Email records from Commission Chair Susan Hanrahan show that she met with Lamar Davis, deputy chief of staff for Gov. Mike Beebe, on March 8, 2011. Two days later, Hanrahan emailed Davis as a follow up to this meeting.

Morgan Keegan Set Back $210 Million From Arkansas Investigation

After 3 years, an investigation that started with a single complaint in Arkansas resulted in 13-state task force investigation that led to a $200 million settlement and $10 million penalty from investment firm, Morgan Keegan.

Manufacturing Survey Highlights Leadership, Sustainability, R&d Issues

A new national survey released by a manufacturing coalition offers insight into U.S. and Arkansas companies.

Whirlpool Supplier Shuttering Fort Smith Factory

Fortis Plastics, a vendor to Whirlpool’s plant in Fort Smith, has notified its almost 100 employees that the plant will shut down between Nov. 4 and Nov. 18.

Hope Bakery To Add 50 Jobs

Southern Bakeries is planning to expand and add up to 50 new jobs at its Hope facility, according to this report in the Hope Star.

Kimberly-clark Eyeing Maumelle Expansion

Kimberly-Clark Corp. could expand its Maumelle baby wipe facility adding up to $50 million in new investments and 20 new jobs to the city.

Griffin Jobs Conference Theme: Uncertainty

More than 60 central Arkansas business leaders shared the stage with Second District Congressman Tim Griffin (R) on Wednesday in an effort to remedy the biggest proclaimed hurdle facing businesses today: uncertainty.

Rep. Rice Sends Letter Asking For Speaker Votes

We’ve known for months that the likely showdown for the next Speaker of the House for the 2013 session will be between Democratic Rep. Darrin Williams (D-Little Rock) and Republican Rep. Terry Rice (R-Waldron).

Proof That It Has Been A Tough Year

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. In this instance, the picture is a graph.

Deposit Growth Not Always A Good Thing

From a prestige standpoint, having the highest percentage of bank deposits in a region is nice. From a profitability standpoint, bank deposits can be a burden.

Democratic Party, Senate Candidates Leading In Campaign Cash

In the race for critical campaign cash, the latest finance reports show that Arkansas Democratic Senate candidates and the Democratic Party of Arkansas have a significant edge when it comes to fundraising.

Dassault Falcon Signs 40 Year Lease With Little Rock Airport

Economy withstanding, they’ll be making jet airplanes in Little Rock for a long time.

Trane Arkansas Changing Name To Harrison Energy Partners

Effective Nov. 1, 2011, commercial and industrial HVAC systems provider, Trane Arkansas, will change its company name to Harrison Energy Partners.

Truckers: Economic Uncertainty Top Issue

The message from a trucking conference held this week in Texas is that national economic certainty remains the biggest issue facing the trucking industry — although the industry’s chief economist says freight demand suggests the nation may avoid entering another recession.

Arkansas Medicaid Director Resigns

The director of Arkansas’ Medicaid program, Gene Gessow, has resigned according to a spokesperson for Gov. Mike Beebe. Gessow is leaving for family reasons, says Matt Decample in the Governor’s office.

Arkansas has been exploring major changes to its Medicaid program at the direction of Beebe, who has warned that the state faces a major financial crisis with the program as early as July 2012 if reforms are not enacted.

At the center of Beebe’s controversial proposal is an effort to create medical care groups for certain divisions of health care that would allow for bundled payments versus the current "fee-for-services" method of payment that has threatened Medicaid’s finances. Yesterday, the first working group of stakeholders met to hammer out potential direction on Medicaid reform.

Decample said that the Governor understood Gessow’s personal reasons for leaving, but his departure won’t threaten Beebe’s efforts to push forward with Medicaid reform.

"It’s not going to slow us down. There’s still a team in place over there (at the Department of Human Services)," Decample said.

The search for a replacement will be conducted by DHS director John Selig in consultation with the Governor, Decample added.

Amy Webb, spokesperson for DHS, emphasized that Gessow was not asked to resign, but that his personal situation dictated a need for his departure. Webb said that Marilyn Strickland, chief operating officer with the Medicaid division, would serve as interim Medicaid director while a search is conducted.

"He (Gessow) was a visionary," Webb said. "We’ll be looking for someone of that caliber."

Heavier Lifting On Medicaid Overhaul Begins

We’ve reported widely on Gov. Mike Beebe’s (D) efforts to overhaul the state’s Medicaid system, which he’s warned will face a fiscal crisis by July 2012.