The 91st General Assembly
Legislative
Sen. Jonathan Dismang Senate Pro Tempore
M
embers of the Arkansas Senate will convene on Jan. 9 to tackle many important issues. In some ways, it feels as though we never left. The fiscal session along with two special sessions in the spring of this year has left our members with little time away from the Capitol before heading into a busy regular session. The 91st General Assembly will have no short order to fulfill. Along with approving a balanced budget and steering through the challenging course of a regular session, legislators will be asked to address issues that are new to our State. On Nov. 8, Arkansans voted to strengthen the GOP’s hold on both chambers and approved four new constitutional amendments, which included the legalization of medical marijuana. When Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th President, and the GOP returns with majorities in both the House and Senate in D.C., our members will be closely following policy issues and preparing for a state specific response. Arkansas’ version of Medicaid expansion or Arkansas Works may or may not closely resemble what Washington approves to replace the Affordable Care Act. If it does not, Arkansas will need time to find their course of action. It has been no secret that Arkansas Republicans have remained divided on the best way to respond to President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Members are hopeful that the policy of the new administration will help settle political differences at the state level. The creation of enabling legislation for medical marijuana will likely dominate an already complex regular session. The language in voter approved Issue 6 is concise in some areas, but leaves much to be determined in others. Additionally, it gives the legislature and state agencies little time to create the framework for a new industry. The amendment created the Medical See
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Rep. Jeremy Gillam Speaker of the House
he Arkansas House collectively now has more experience in state government than it has in two decades. We have 17 members, including myself, who will be serving their fourth term for the 91st General Assembly. There are also 29 members who will be serving their third term. From my own experience, I know I become a better lawmaker bringing with me lessons I learned in the term before. I fully expect that Arkansans will see the experience this body brings forward will result in legislation with long-term solutions. Our budget sets the tone for everything. Your budget at home reflects your priorities. The budget on the state level is no different. We continue to direct nearly half of every dollar into education. I don’t see the legislature deviating from that. But just how much we have to work with depends a great deal on what takes place in Washington next year. If Congress alters the Affordable Care Act, the impact on our state will be significant. Although it may be a positive change in the long run, it will require us to adjust spending immediately. We now have about 300,000 Arkansans enrolled in the Private Option (Arkansas Works begins January 1). We have debated the funding of this program for four consecutive sessions. It is time to look beyond one year of funding and get to the heart of why 1 in 4 adults in our state makes so little to even qualify. An integral part of the solution lies in tax reform. Tax reform is not necessarily tax cuts. Real reform spurs the entire economy. The non-partisan research group The Tax Foundation has released a report detailing ways Arkansas can move from No. 38 to No. 15 in our business tax climate. One proposal includes rolling back tax credits for corporations and using new revenue to reduce corporate income rates. Every business would benefit, and this would get the state out of the business of picking winners and losers. We do a See
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COUNTY LINES, FALL 2016
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