Category Archives: State government

Arkansas joins call to amend the Constitution

Health care, Independents and third parties, Legislature, Politics, State government

Arkansans of the Year, Convention of States

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

This past week the Legislature did something either completely irrelevant or extremely significant.

It passed a resolution adding Arkansas to the slowly growing list of states calling for a convention to consider constitutional amendments to impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit its power, and enact term limits.

The U.S. Constitution can be amended two ways under its own Article V: Congress starts the process, or the states do. The states have never succeeded in doing it.

But Arkansas became the 13th of a necessary 34 states to approve this particular resolution. This occurred after the House said yes Wednesday, and then the Senate, which had already approved it, agreed to add the names of House sponsors Thursday. Continue reading Arkansas joins call to amend the Constitution →

Governor hits the gas pedal on highways

Legislature, Politics, State government

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Coming into this legislative session, highways for Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson were a priority, not the priority. Reducing the top tax rate from 6.9 percent to 5.9 percent came first.

But the past week proved the two couldn’t be separated.

After Hutchinson’s tax cut easily passed through Senate committee, it failed to gain a three-fourths majority in the full Senate. Several senators wanted to know how the state could increase funding for highways while cutting taxes. The tax cut did pass on its second try, but only after a few holdouts were assured a responsible plan was coming.

I recently wrote that the tax cut was coming first because it was “easy” and that highways would come afterwards. Boy, I missed that one. It soon became obvious that the three-fourths majority would be even harder to attain in the House until legislators saw a highway plan. So the governor and legislative leaders hit the gas pedal on highways and revealed a plan Monday. Continue reading Governor hits the gas pedal on highways →

Why third parties? Because power corrupts

Independents and third parties, Legislature, Politics, State government

Arkansas Legislature, Arkansas Works, Jeremy Hutchinson, Mickey Gates, Jim Hendren, tax cuts, Senate Bill 163By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

There is a legal case and a moral case against Senate Bill 163, which would make it harder for third parties to get on the ballot in Arkansas. The legal case may not be as strong as I thought it was, but the moral case ought to be strong enough.

First the background. In Arkansas, parties can appear on the ballot by winning 3 percent of the vote in the previous presidential or gubernatorial election. Failing that, they can collect 10,000 signatures.

Senate Bill 163 by Sen. Trent Garner, R-El Dorado, would increase the required number of signatures to 3 percent of the vote in the last gubernatorial election. In 2020, that would be almost 26,750 signatures, which would be a lot to collect.

The Libertarian Party is currently the only viable third party in Arkansas. It advocates for very limited government. It runs to the right of Republicans on economic issues and to the left of Democrats on some social issues, such as the war on drugs.

Libertarians have been inching toward that 3 percent in recent elections. In 2018, their gubernatorial candidate won 2.9 percent.

That’s too close for comfort for Republicans in the Legislature. They want to make sure a Libertarian candidate doesn’t attract enough votes to sway some future close election to the Democrats. Continue reading Why third parties? Because power corrupts →

Tax cuts – that’s the easy part

Legislature, State government

Arkansas Legislature, Arkansas Works, Jeremy Hutchinson, Mickey Gates, Jim Hendren, tax cutsBy Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

When people have a lengthy agenda to complete, they can start with the easier stuff or the harder stuff. The Arkansas Legislature this session understandably started with the easier stuff.

The easier stuff is cutting taxes. Gov. Asa Hutchinson is determined to cut Arkansas’ top rate to 5.9 percent so it won’t be the highest in the region. He says it sticks out like a sore thumb when he’s trying to recruit business and industry.

The hard part was working out the details and making sure the budget didn’t take too big a hit. Both pretty much have been accomplished. It still has to get through the House after passing the Senate, but while there still may be small hurdles to overcome, it eventually will happen.

The tax cuts are easier because the state has some extra money. That’s happened because policymakers here govern relatively responsibly – way more so than in Washington, D.C. – and the state is benefitting from a strong national and global economy and a seemingly generous federal government.

None of those should be seen as permanent realities, including the last two. We’re experiencing one of the longest economic expansions in modern memory, and what goes up will eventually level off. The Brits’ increasingly messy divorce from Europe is just one of many factors worldwide that could gum things up. If the global economy slows down, it will affect Arkansas. Continue reading Tax cuts – that’s the easy part →