Author: Talk Business

Talk Business

Senate Transportation Panel Passes Speaker’s Road Bill, Maybe

HB 1902 by House Speaker Robert Moore (D-Arkansas City) was voted out of a Senate Transportation Committee this afternoon, but not without controversy.

Highway Commission To Redraw Commissioner Lines

The Arkansas Highway Commission agreed to redraw its representative lines after a special meeting held Monday by telephone.

Investors Offer Praise, Advice On Pryor Jobs Bill

Startup executives and venture capitalists are nearly unanimous in their glowing support of Sen. Mark Pryor’s recent proposal to give tax breaks to so-called angel investors who fund and provide equity for early stage companies.

Clean & Green: Leed Certified

You’ve heard of a building being LEED certified before and you know it has to do with environmental sustainability. But what is LEED and how do you get it?

University Leaders Announce Education Compact

The presidents and chancellors of Arkansas’ 11 public universities and two university systems issued a 16-point pledge today aimed at better collaboration and cooperation to advance the state’s higher education population.

Joint Budget Full Of Fireworks (updated)

This is the time of the session that the Joint Budget Committee gets particularly interesting. With about two weeks remaining (maybe more, according to some sources), state lawmakers are hammering out several important budget parameters.

Only Two Constitutional Amendments Referred

A Joint State Agencies Committee decided that only two measures would be referred to voters in the 2012 general election.

State Employee Raises One Trip In Final Budget

With a deal worked out on tax cuts, the path is cleared to resolve the state budget and end the 88th General Assembly, right?

New Broadband Survey Finds 68% Have High-speed Internet Access

More than two-thirds of Arkansans have access to high-speed Internet, a jump from less than 50% four years ago.

Nw Arkansas Home Sales Rise In February

Ethan Nobles with First Arkansas News reports that home sales in northwest Arkansas rose for the third consecutive month, a surprise considering February 2010’s home sales were boosted by federal government home-buying incentives.

At&t To Acquire T-mobile

The nation’s largest wireless company is looking to get larger.

Prison Reform Bill Signed By Governor

A year’s worth of work and a session’s worth of negotiations led Gov. Mike Beebe to a major legislative victory – one that will certainly be tied to his administration’s legacy.

Lawmakers Make Quick Work Of Tax Cuts, Constitutional Amendments

Coming back from a weekend break, Arkansas lawmakers dispatched with their work quickly.

Aert Restructures Debt, Adds Capital

Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies, Inc. has reworked a credit deal that will reduce the company’s debt in exchange for preferred equity and debt securities.

Lion Oil Assets Sold

Delek US Holdings, Inc. has acquired a greater stake in El Dorado-based Lion Oil Co.

Health Care Proposals In The Spotlight And On The Hot Seat

Health care reform will find itself under a glaring spotlight on Wednesday as state lawmakers review proposed changes to Medicaid and consider how to construct Arkansas law to deal with federal health care reform.

Steele Pushing Black Caucus To Join Another Redistricting Plan

The leader of the Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus says he does not plan to bring his own Congressional redistricting plan in the 2011 session.

Speaker Confident In Senate Highway Votes

House Speaker Robert Moore (D-Arkansas City) says he believes he’ll get his voter-referred highway proposals through the Arkansas State Senate, one of several predictions and revelations made in a wide-ranging interview on Talk Business this week.

Tyson Foods, George’s Ink Deal To Sell Assets

Two Springdale-based poultry firms inked a deal on Friday to sell assets in Virginia.

Blue Hog: Legislative Reimbursement Practices & Amendment 70

Matt Campbell with our content partner, Blue Hog Report, digs deeper on a previous post examining the origins and offenses of a legislative practice that allows for "expense reimbursement" greater than the salaries lawmakers receive for their work.