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Gov. Asa Hutchinson Calls Special Legislative Session To Focus On Highway Funding

LITTLE ROCK (KFSM) — On Thursday (May 19) legislators will meet at the Arkansas state capitol in a special session called by Governor Asa Hutchinson. The ...

LITTLE ROCK (KFSM) -- On Thursday (May 19) legislators will meet at the Arkansas state capitol in a special session called by Governor Asa Hutchinson.

The Governor will present his plan for highway funding. He is proposing a ten year plan to match federal dollars without raising taxes.

"The purpose of this special session is to address our state's immediate highway funding needs without the unnecessary burden of raising taxes on Arkansans," Hutchinson said. "In addition, the legislature will be asked to approve legislation to promote efficiency and effectiveness of state government operations as well as a few items that warrant immediate action."

Arkansas will be able to get $2 billion in federal funding if the state invests about $750 million into the highway department over a decade.

The money would go toward projects around the state.

"Roads are typically, you get what you pay for as a citizen. But one of the things this Governor did when he came in a little over 17 months ago, was he asked for cuts and in most state agencies across the board cut," said Republican state representative Mat Pitsch. "We also had a new treasurer who started investing dollars in a different matter lets say and the combination of those two things has generated some revenues that previously weren't there."

"We have enough in trying to do cost cutting measures. Plus return on our investments from our state treasurer that we think we can cover that match. That is what the governor is asking for," he said.

Other items on the agenda and to be discussed according to the governor's office is:

  • To  increase funding for repair, construction and proper maintenance of Arkansas bridges and roads and to address legislative review of proposed rules of the State Highway Commission.
  • To promote efficiency and effectiveness in the operations of state government by transferring the Arkansas History Commission to the Department of Arkansas Heritage and amending the membership, tenure, and duties of    certain agencies, task forces, committees, and commissions.
  • To merge Crowley’s Ridge Technical Institute into East Arkansas Community College.
  • To enhance and streamline the process of identifying and filling board vacancies for certain improvement districts, including levee, drainage, irrigation, watershed and river improvement districts.
  • To protect the property rights of an individual in the use of the individual’s name, voice, signature and likeness.
  • To address the qualifications of professionals under the Private Security Agency, Private Investigator and School Security Licensing and Credentialing Act.
  • To clarify the law regarding workers’ compensation payments under the workers’ compensation law that resulted from initiated measure 1948, No. 4 and to end payments to the Death and Permanent Total Disability Trust Fund.
  • To reenact the original date of the sunset of the Arkansas Works Program established by identical Acts 2016 (2nd Ex. Sess.), Nos. 1 and 2.
  • To amend the law to enable annual school elections to be held in November, to make technical corrections to the law concerning the annual school elections and to amend the funding structure and other essential administrative provisions concerning certain school elections.
  • To amend Ark. Code Ann. § 9-28-217 to permit release of juvenile records to a person, agency or organization engaged in bona fide research or evaluation project determined by the Division of Youth Services of the Department of Human Services to have value for the evaluation or development of policies to advance juvenile justice.
  • To amend the criminal offense of sexual indecency with a child.
  • To prohibit identification of schools or districts as being in academic distress pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-428 for the 2016-2017 school year and to prohibit assignment of school ratings pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2105 for the 2016-2017 school year.
  • To amend Ark. Code Ann. § 12-80-104 concerning earthquake resistant design requirements for buildings and other structures.
  • To confirm gubernatorial appointees.

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