Talk Politics

Covering Arkansas Politics

Arkansas Elected Officials React To Health Care Ruling

The historic U.S. Supreme Court decision on health care ignited a firestorm of reaction from federal and state elected officials in Arkansas.

U.S. Supreme Court: Health Care Individual Mandate A Tax

In a historic decision anticipated for months and impacting hundreds of millions of Americans, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the individual mandate – the cornerstone of the federal health care law – is allowed as a tax for people not having insurance.

Butch Calhoun To Lead Arkansas Agriculture Department

Former State Rep. and Prairie County Judge Butch Calhoun will lead the Arkansas Agriculture Department, whose current leader, Richard Bell, is retiring after 7 years on the job.

Finance Officials Offer Sneak Preview Of Online Checkbook

Arkansas finance officials unveiled a sneak preview of a state government online checkbook on Wednesday (June 27).

Legislators Consider Expanding Law On Human Trafficking

John Lyon with our content partner, the Arkansas News Bureau, reports on a legislative hearing focused on potential changes to the problem of human trafficking.

Tilley: A Simple Concern With The GOP Plan

The City Wire editor Michael Tilley takes aim at the Arkansas GOP legislators’ SIMPLE plan that they promise to enact if they gain the majorities of the State House or Senate.

Complete List Of Legislative Candidate Match-ups

If you’re looking for the complete lay of the land with legislative race match-ups, check out our latest comprehensive lists of State Senate and House races.

Supreme Court Ruling Won’t End Health Care Debate

Arkansas Times senior editor and lead blogger, Max Brantley, and Republican political strategist Clint Reed of Impact Management Group agree on one thing: The Supreme Court decision on the federal health care law won’t settle the issue.

Weekend Digest: Mandatory Voting And Political ‘Moneyball’

For our weekend political readers.

Arkansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Execution Law

The Arkansas Supreme Court sided with death row inmates in a ruling that strikes down the state’s execution law. The Governor, legislature and prosecutors react.

Beebe Headed To France For Trade Mission

Gov. Mike Beebe (D) said on his return trip from China that he may travel to France this summer for an agricultural-related economic development trip. Apparently, he will.

Farm Bureau, Senators Say Farm Bill Bad For Arkansas

A Senate-passed farm bill doesn’t come close to protecting Arkansas farmers, says the state’s leading agri lobbying group and two U.S. Senators.

New Study Suggests Severance Tax Hike Detrimental To Arkansas

Opponents of an increase in the state’s natural gas severance tax say a new study shows that raising the tax would be detrimental to the gas industry in Arkansas.

Barth Predicts A Gentle GOP Breeze In 2012

Dr. Jay Barth, our polling partner with Hendrix College, uses his Arkansas Times column this week to assess the prevailing political winds across the state.

Re-worked Contract, Jump In Scholarships Improve Lottery Outlook

Lawmakers learned Tuesday (June 19) that a re-worked lottery contract and expected higher sales will lead to a bigger budget this year and next.

Illegal Cross-over Votes Caught In Jefferson County

It may not go any further, but it will be added as a chapter in the book of election fraud suspicion.

Judicial Election Reforms Could Begin In 2014

Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Robert Brown appeared on Talk Business Sunday night on Fox 16 to discuss a series of election reforms being considered in judicial races.

Weekend Digest: Romney Smelling Like A Rose, While Obama Ponders Data Overload

Here's our round-up of weekend reading for our political audience: IS TOO MUCH DATA BAD FOR OBAMA? Actually, it's called “Big Data,” says Fortune and it gathers a lot of…

Gov. Beebe Attending Pennartz For Senate Fundraiser

Gov. Mike Beebe (D) understands the stakes of a Republican-controlled House and Senate, and he’s using his political influence to help Democratic candidates in key legislative races.