Category Archives: Legislature

House panel says no to 350 school threshold

Legislature, State government

The House Education Committee just passed House Bill 2010, by Rep. Jon Hubbard, that would basically remove the 350 threshold that school districts are required to maintain in order to avoid consolidation. I only heard one no vote.

Hubbard pointed to the Weiner School District, which was required to consolidate with Harrisburg even though it was performing well academically.

It now goes to the House. We’ll see.

Now Hubbard is testifying in favor of House Bill 2011 that would pay private school families and home-school families. It would have an immediate impact of more than $80 million. The parents would be reimbursed for expenses. Under questioning, he says he doesn’t have the details worked out. It would take effect next year.

Unanimously failed.

Column: Good first step on prison reform

Legislature, State government

My column this week is about the prison reform bill signed by Governor Beebe into law yesterday. The law lightens certain sentences for nonviolent (and, to be honest, some not-very-violent) offenders while emphasizing parole, probation, electronic monitoring and drug courts.

Most columnists are critical of legislators most of the time, but this was a good vote. Legislators addressed a critical area of government spending growth despite this being an issue that is easily demagogued by opponents.

Few have every lost an election proclaiming the need to lock offenders up and throw away the key. But that approach is wasting a lot of taxpayer money – and a lot of lives as well. Some of those convicts can be turned around, but it makes it harder to do that if they languish in prison for years amongst the real criminals.

So while call it a first step? Because debate is beginning on another major government spending growth area – Medicaid. And that will be much more contentious. I’ll be writing a lot about that in the coming weeks.

Here’s the column.

To cut spending, you cut spending

Legislature

Sen. Gilbert Baker (R-Conway) appeared on KARN’s “Dave Elswick Show” yesterday in the wake of the House Revenue and Taxation Committee tabling his proposal to cut the used car sales tax. He’s frustrated, so we should all cut him some slack, but he made this comment:

“I do support cutting the spending of this state and there is only one way you do it. You don’t talk about it. You don’t sponsor it away. You cut taxes.”

With all due respect, there is only one way to cut spending – by cutting spending. And then you cut taxes. In that order. Otherwise, Arkansas goes the way of Washington, D.C.

Jason Tolbert has a lot more.

Column: In defense of payday lenders

Legislature

My Arkansas News Bureau column this week is about two bills before the state Legislature that would open the door to the return of small loan providers – payday lenders, basically.

The lenders, which provide small, short term loans mostly to poor people, shut down and left the state after Attorney General Dustin McDaniel threatened to sue them in 2008. They couldn’t justify their expenses and risks charging what the state would allow.

Everyone celebrated their departure as if they had done some noble deed – and then did nothing about the underlying problem, which is that poor people sometimes need $300 by Friday or their lights will be shut off.

Banks don’t loan that kind of money to anybody. Banks don’t loan money to poor people. But nobody proposed doing anything about that. And lest you think there are churches and agencies out there ready to help – there aren’t, at least not nearly enough of them.

So basically we left poor people with one less option to keep their lights on until a paycheck comes in or until they can figure out what to do. In fact, it was the best option. Now all they can do is go to a pawn shop, beg or steal.

Poor people sometimes need $300 to keep the lights on, and there’s no one out there willing to loan it to them. For those who oppose these bills – and, of course, that includes McDaniel – I have one question: What is your solution to the real problem?

What is your solution?

Here is the column.