Author: Steve Brawner

Steve Brawner

Number Of Private Option Enrollees Climbs

The number of enrollees in the Medicaid private option reached 218,376 at the end of June, an increase of about 4,000 from May, when it totaled 214,461. The number of…

Legislators Told Arkansas Still Needs State Exchange

Arkansas should continue its efforts to establish a state-based insurance exchange, the executive director of the state’s Health Insurance Marketplace said, even though a recent Supreme Court ruling makes it less necessary to do so.

Gov. Hutchinson: No Discretion For County Clerks On Gay Marriage Licenses

County clerks do not have discretion when it comes to issuing same-sex marriage licenses, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Monday. Hutchinson made the statement after being asked about social media comments…

Arkansas, Vietnamese Province Sign Trade Memo

Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a memorandum of understanding with Vietnam’s Dong Nai Province Monday, a day before the province was to announce the opening of a trade office in Bentonville….

U.S. Chamber Executive: Raise Gas Tax For Roads

The federal government should spend more money on highways, and the best way to do that in the short term is by raising the gas tax, a U.S. Chamber of Commerce executive says.

Levees In Arkansas Unmaintained, With No State Oversight

Many of Arkansas’ levees are not being maintained. Taxes are being collected but not being spent for that purpose. No one is overseeing the situation because of state law and…

State Road Funding Group Meets Amidst More Highway Department Bid Cutbacks

Gov. Asa Hutchinson called on his appointed Working Group for Highway Funding to be creative but also to work within political realities on Wednesday, the same day that the Arkansas…

Governor: PARCC Destined To Go Away

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Tuesday that Arkansas is destined to stop using the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam, so it needs to move away from it as soon as possible.

Gov. Hutchinson Touts European Trip To Little Rock Rotary Club

Final discussions that led to the announced 85-job expansion at Calhoun County’s Aerojet Rocketdyne facility occurred during Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s trip to the Paris Air Show last week, Hutchinson said…

Highway Funding Group Follows Blue Ribbon’s Footsteps

On Wednesday, the 20-member Working Group on Highway Funding will hold its first meeting to discuss the state’s road funding options. Six years ago, the Blue Ribbon Committee on Highway Finance did the same thing.

Citing Memo, Gov. Hutchinson Orders PARCC Withdrawal

Gov. Asa Hutchinson has directed the Department of Education to withdraw Arkansas from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) consortium, despite a vote June 11 by the State Board of Education to keep Arkansas in the consortium.

Report: Treat Mentally Ill, Don’t Imprison Them

Diverting offenders with mental illness into treatment instead of incarcerating them could save Arkansas $140 million a year, according to a rough estimate in a new report issued Thursday by…

Study: Traditional Schools Outpace Charters In Funding

Traditional schools received an average of $2,706 more per pupil than charter schools in 15 states in fiscal year 2011, a gap caused by traditional schools receiving more public funding,…

State Considers Scenarios In Obamacare Court Ruling

It’s possible that by Thursday, a U.S. Supreme Court decision will result in 68,232 Arkansans losing insurance subsidies provided through the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. If that happens, state policymakers will have to decide how to respond.

University of Arkansas to receive $5 million from state for food science center

Tyson board chairman’s new contract includes $40 million cash incentive

Officials from Fort Smith and Poland sign Friendship Pact, mark arrival of F-35 jets

Grow for the Green Soybean Yield Challenge slated for its 16th year