by - April 5, 2013 2:48 pm
Arkansas Senate approves ‘private option’ insurance
On a 24-9 vote with two GOP lawmakers not voting, the Arkansas Senate approved SB 1020, The Health Care Independence Act of 2013. All 14 Democrats in the Senate voted…
2013 General Assembly
by - April 2, 2013 6:25 pm
‘Private option’ insurance, steel mill plans progress
Two bills that outline the framework for the Arkansas “private option” health insurance expansion plan have been amended, and Legislators also pushed forward a bill supporting the Big River Steel…
by - April 1, 2013 6:13 pm
Legislature overrides Beebe veto of voter ID law
Less than a week after the Arkansas Senate overrode Gov. Mike Beebe’s veto of SB 2, a bill that requires a photo ID to vote, the Arkansas House also re-passed…
by - March 28, 2013 11:54 am
State Chamber endorses Medicaid private option plan
The Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas are throwing their weight behind the “private option” plan to move Medicaid expansion dollars into a legislative plan that would subsidize…
by - March 27, 2013 7:15 pm
Bill could open ‘flood gate’ on liquor law changes
A bill under consideration in the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee could make it easier for locals in dry counties to buy alcohol without a long trek to…
by - March 27, 2013 6:18 pm
Amendments, opinions issued on steel mill deal
Details have emerged through a 52-page amendment to SB 820 filed Wednesday (March 27) to lay out the terms and conditions of the state’s agreement to float a bond issue…
by - March 26, 2013 2:48 pm
Tax cuts, Medicaid fraud bills proposed
An Arkansas House panel approved a change to the state’s income tax brackets, a move that could deplete state revenues by $57 million a year. HB 1585 by Rep. Charlie…
by - March 25, 2013 5:01 pm
Beebe vetoes voter ID bill
Gov. Mike Beebe (D) issued his third veto of the 89th General Assembly rejecting a divisive voter ID bill that would require photo proof at the polls to cast a…
by - March 24, 2013 1:17 pm
The ‘Arkansas plan’ for Medicaid moves forward
Medicaid expansion “is dead,” Rep. Charlie Collins (R-Fayetteville) told a hometown audience on Friday (March 22), but the framework for a phoenix plan is alive, under construction, and receiving a…
by - March 22, 2013 9:51 pm
Legislator: ‘Medicaid extension is dead’
State Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, may have been the last one to speak at the Fayetteville Chamber’s Legislative Forum held Friday afternoon. But he didn’t mince any words. “Medicaid extension…
by - March 21, 2013 5:36 pm
House panel nixes highway revenue shift plan
The House Public Transportation Committee shot down HB 1418, which would shift sales and use tax revenues tied to cars and vehicles from state general revenue to a designated highway fund….
by - March 21, 2013 5:21 pm
Legislative report released on steel mill analysis
A legislative report on the Big River Steel mill project offers a second opinion on the state’s $1.1 billion superproject questioning an initial report from Arkansas’ economic development agency. The…
by - March 21, 2013 5:07 pm
Arkansas Senate approves energy efficiency financing program
The Arkansas Advanced Energy Association issued a statement on Thursday praising the efforts of legislators to authorize the “Property Assessed Clean Energy” financing program. SB 640, sponsored by Sen. David…
by - March 21, 2013 7:23 am
Nucor officials push back against Big River Steel mill
Nucor Steel is ratcheting up its objections to the Big River Steel superproject, including questions concerning steel capacity, its impact on Nucor’s state tax contributions, and the possibility of moving…
by - March 19, 2013 5:18 pm
Protecting animal protection
As The City Wire has reported, Sen. Gary Stubblefield, R-Branch, introduced two anti-speech bills, SB 13/SB 14, that, if passed, will criminalize the actions of those who dare to document…
by - March 19, 2013 5:06 pm
Bipartisan group touts business investment bill
Rep. Darrin Williams, D-Little Rock, and Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, touted HB 1832, the Arkansas New Markets Job Act, a bill both men say could lead to significant investments in…
by - March 19, 2013 5:01 pm
City finance directors seek more tax disclosure
Finance directors at cities across Arkansas have longed for more detailed reporting of sales tax revenues and they could soon get their wish thanks to a state agency change in…
by - March 19, 2013 9:18 am
Report optimistic on Medicaid expansion costs
Arkansas Medicaid officials say a state plan to move Medicaid-eligible low-income citizens into a “private option” that would include subsidized plans in forthcoming health insurance exchanges could add less than…
by - March 14, 2013 5:18 pm
House bill changes alcohol permit licensing rules
A bill which will soon be under consideration by the General Assembly's House Rules Committee would allow local Arkansas cities and counties to have more influence in the decision-making process…
by - March 14, 2013 4:40 pm
Grover Norquist provides cover for tax increase bill
The House Revenue and Tax committee approved a bill that would exempt most farmers from a sales tax on their utilities and a tax increase on timber companies. The influential…