By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

How does a freshman Democrat in a Republican-dominated Arkansas Legislature pass a bill on an emotional issue like illegal immigration?

By making it about less emotional issues like economic development and professional licensure. Also, handwritten notes help.

House Bill 1552 by Rep. Megan Godfrey, D-Springdale, will let the Board of Nursing grant licenses to students covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy – those young people brought to America illegally by their parents.

The bill became necessary after the board stopped granting licenses in 2017 because it believed it needed clearer legal authority. Some students had the rug pulled from under them after they had enrolled in nursing school.

Illegal immigration is the hot-button issue most associated with electing President Trump. The Legislature is 75 percent Republican. Continue reading How a freshman Democrat passed an immigration bill in Arkansas →

By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

That “phhhbtt!” sound you may have heard is the air coming out of the State Capitol dome. After nearly three months of being separated during the week from their families, and in many cases, their full-time jobs, legislators are ready to go home.

The plan is to recess April 10, and then reconvene for cleanup work in May.

It’s wrap-up time. And last Wednesday, a big item was crossed off the to-do list when legislators approved funding for the agency administering Arkansas Works, the program that purchases health insurance for about 234,000 Arkansans as of February 1. There’s usually much drama associated with this, but it only took two House votes to pass the funding measure, and that’s despite a court ruling that had removed a work requirement.

This week, legislators were deciding how to spend your money under the state’s Revenue Stabilization Act. They also added a third proposed constitutional amendment to Arkansans’ ballot in 2020 – this one to make it harder to amend the Constitution. The other two would permanently extend the half-cent sales tax for roads and change legislative term limits.

House Bill 1763 by Rep. Andy Davis, R-Little Rock, the governor’s transformation initiative, also needs to finish working its way through the process. The slow pace would be expected for a 2,049-page bill that will reduce the number of state agencies from 42 to 15. Continue reading What that “phhhbtt!” sound means →

By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

The legislative session at the Arkansas Capitol heads for the finish line. What’s left? Mostly spending your tax dollars and finalizing the constitutional amendments you’ll consider in 2020.

In the next few weeks, lawmakers will divvy up state funding through the Revenue Stabilization Act. First passed in 1945, it prioritizes spending. Higher priority areas are guaranteed to be funded while lower priorities get money if it’s available.

The RSA is a big reason the state doesn’t run budget deficits, though it does incur debt in other ways, such as retirement programs and bond issues. It would be nice if the federal government had a similar mechanism, but alas.

Since 2013, one state agency has dominated the process: the Division of Medical Services, which administers Arkansas Works. That’s the state program that purchases private health insurance for lower-income Arkansans. Continue reading Legislature nears the finish line, and then … →