Author: Talk Business

by Talk Business - September 5, 2011 7:00 pm

Highway Bond Committee Backed Largely By Murphy Foundation

As reported last week, two committees have been formed to campaign for the passage of the highway (GARVEE) bond renewal in the special election on November 8.  The largest committee – Move Arkansas Forward – filed their first financial report with the Arkansas Ethics Commission last Friday, September 2. 

Although the report shows activity dating back to December 2010, the initial report was not filed until five days after Gov. Beebe officially called the special election.  Craig Douglass – spokesman for Move Arkansas Forward – stated last week that their position is that reporting is not required until the election is officially called since technically there was no election to influence until then.

The report shows that the committee has raised $342,912.50 through August 31, 2011.  By far, the largest support comes from the Murphy Foundation and Murphy Oil, which have contributed a combined $161,912.50. Madison Murphy, President of the Murphy Foundation and director of Murphy Oil, is listed as the co-chairman of the committee. Murphy is a Huckabee appointee to the Highway Commission and was a member of the Blue Ribbon Committee on Highway Finance.

Randy Zook, President of the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce, is listed as the treasurer for the committee. Mark Lamberth, owner of Atlas Asphalt, is also a co-chairman.

The bulk of the committee expenses – $162,099.06 – have gone to Craig Douglass Communications.  Douglass served as the communications director of the Blue Ribbon Committee on Highway Finance as well.  The only other expense of the committee was $23,046.14 paid to a Little Rock law firm to draft highway financing legislation during the past legislative session.

The full report can be found on the Arkansas Ethics Commission website here.

by Talk Business - September 5, 2011 7:00 pm

Herman Cain Coming To Arkansas

Washington County Republicans announced this weekend that Republican Presidential hopeful Herman Cain will be the keynote speaker at their Lincoln Day Dinner next month.  The event will be October 27 at 6:00 pm at the Holiday Inn in Springdale.

Cain is the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza.  He came in fifth in the Iowa Straw Poll last month.  The latest Republican Primary poll from Rasmussen shows Cain in sixth place with support from four percent of those polled.

This is Cain’s second visit to the Natural State this year.  In February, Cain spoke at the "Defending the Dream" event sponsored by Americans for Prosperity. With Arkansas’ primary occurring late in the Presidential primary season in May, Arkansas has a difficult time attracting candidates.  The only other candidate to visit Arkansas that I know of this year was Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty who dropped out of the race shortly after his third place finish in the Iowa Straw Poll.

I am also hearing that the speaker for the Republican Party of Arkansas’ annual Governor’s Dinner will be announced soon.  If the name I heard is correct, it will certainly raise some interest.

by Talk Business - August 31, 2011 7:00 pm

Lawsuit Filed In Idaho Challenging Fetal Pain Based Abortion Ban

You may recall during the previous legislative session Rep. Andy Mayberry (R-East End) filed a bill that would have banned abortion after the point at which the unborn child can experience pain – usually considered 20 weeks.  The bill was voted down by the House Public Health Committee after Attorney General Dustin McDaniel’s office spoke against it saying it would cause Arkansas to end up in court.

We should soon get a look as to the validity of McDaniel’s concerns as a similar bill passed in Idaho is being challenged in court.  Although abortions after 20 weeks are no longer being preformed in clinics in Idaho, the lawsuit comes from a Idaho women who took abortion inducing drugs from an Internet provider.  According to a report from Reuters, she was charged under a 1972 Idaho law prohibiting self-induced abortions.  The charges were dropped, however, and she is challenging the constitutionality of both the 1972 law and the pain awareness ban.

Both pro-life and pro-choice groups are watching this case closely as this is the first challenge to a state law effectively banning abortions after 20 weeks.  If it is upheld, it will further expand a state’s ability to restrict abortions. The Supreme Court upheld certain state restrictions in Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 1992 and a federal ban on partial birth abortions in Gonzales v. Carhart in 2007.  Pro-life groups hope for a similar outcome in the current court challenge.

Also, of note, Alabama signed a similar law into effect yesterday becoming the fifth state to do so.