Weekly Updates

When the Arkansas legislature convenes the 2021 regular session, the first major challenge on the agenda will be ensuring that the public can still safely participate in the democratic process.

When the legislature convenes in regular session at noon on Monday, January 11, the individuals in the Senate will bring a wide variety of real-world experience to the task.

The level of state government spending determines how much of a surplus is left at the end of the fiscal year. One of the legislature’s most important decisions is how much of a surplus to accumulate, and what to do with it.

Lottery Scholarships Benefit More Than 30,000 Arkansas Students

Last week it was reported that another former detention center, at Lewisville, will be converted into a substance abuse treatment facility for teenagers. Judges who hear juvenile cases said that a treatment center was needed, and were glad to have an option besides locking up troubled youths.

The governor presented a balanced budget proposal to the legislature for next fiscal year. It would authorize about $5.8 billion next year in spending from the state’s general revenue fund, about three percent more than this year.

The state is helping people who have trouble paying their rent because of the coronavirus pandemic.

At the beginning of this year, there were more than 2,000 licensed child care programs in Arkansas. They had slots for 194,000 children.

By mid-April, about half the facilities had closed. Although most have been able to re-open, as of early October at least 20 had closed permanently

The Legislative Council approved spending $48.5 million in federal relief money to fund a grant program that will help tourism-related businesses adversely affected by the pandemic. The grants will be available to small businesses that hire up to 250 full-time employees.

The legislature has begun budget hearings, in preparation for the regular session that begins in January.