Talk Politics

Covering Arkansas Politics

State Of The Union: Reaction From The Left, Right & Elsewhere

Tuesday night’s State of the Union speech gave us an opportunity to practice a little bipartisanship of our own.

Beebe Could Send Prison Overflow To Louisiana

At a speech to the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Association on Monday, Gov. Mike Beebe revealed that the state may send hundreds of its prisoners to Louisiana.

Arkansas Congressional Delegation Chimes In On State Of The Union

With four members of Arkansas six-person Congressional delegation in new offices, Tuesday night’s Presidential State of the Union address will have a new audience.

Health Care Mandate To Take Center Stage

The House Public Health Committee may resemble Barnum and Bailey’s three-ring circus on Tuesday.

Hutchinson Files Bill To Allow Live-stream Of Senate Proceedings

State Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, R-Little Rock, filed a bill today to allow for live-streaming of Senate committees.

Tolbert: Health Care, Tax Cuts & The Land Of Opportunity

Jason Tolbert with our content partner, The Tolbert Report, joined Talk Business host Roby Brock on this week’s program.

Could New Debt Bail Out Old Debt For Arkansas?

Arkansas business, labor and government leaders are struggling for a solution to a growing $330 million state debt owed to the federal government for borrowed funds to shore up unemployment benefits to jobless workers.

Griffin Named To Foreign Affairs Committee

Second District Congressman Tim Griffin (R) has been named to a third committee, the prestigious House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Highway Commission, Game & Fish Could Lose Independence

A potential constitutional amendment could take away the independence of the Arkansas Highway Commission, Game and Fish Commission, institutions of higher education and provide more legislative control over the state lottery.

Advocates Eye Extension Of Smoking Ban

This session, health advocates and lawmakers may seek to remove exemptions to the state’s clean indoor air act, which bans smoking in most workplaces.

Lawmakers Nix Pay Hikes For Judges, Prosecutors

Members of the legislative Joint Budget Committee voted to nix a 1.86% pay raise for all Arkansas judges and prosecutors this morning.

Game & Fish Selects New Director

Interim director Loren Hitchcock will be the new permanent director of the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.

House State Agencies Tackles State Nickname, Live-streaming

Members of the House State Agencies Committee debated the state’s motto and whether or not to live-stream its meetings as two headline-garnering issues took center stage at the capitol.

Congressional Redistricting Could Involve Splitting Counties

Arkansas legislators reconvened to start their second week of the 88th General Assembly tackling the thorny issues of redrawing political boundaries and opening up their committees for Internet viewing.

Health Committee Chair Expects Debate In Meetings

House Public Health Chair Rep. Linda Tyler says her committee will deal with several controversial health care decisions at the state level, but she’s prepared for the discussion and large responsibility.

Ledge Preview: Online Streaming & Redistricting

House and Senate committees regroup on Tuesday to start the 88th General Assembly’s work in earnest.

Beebe Discusses Political Legacy

On this week’s edition of Talk Business, we aired the second part of our lengthy interview between Gov. Mike Beebe and political columnist John Brummett of the Arkansas News Bureau.

Boozman Thinks Health Care Changes Will Be Incremental

Late last week, Sen. John Boozman told state municipal leaders that changes to the controversial federal health care law would not involve an all-out repeal.

Brawner: Prison Reform Will Test Conservatives

Stephens Media columnist Steve Brawner tackles the tricky prison reform issue that state lawmakers and the Governor will grapple with this session.