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We started reopening the economy in May, and today I’d like to talk about the encouraging numbers that we’re already seeing. More than 45,000 Arkansans are back at work. Our unemployment rate, which has remained below the national rate, dropped from 10.8 percent in April to 9.5 percent in May.
The state will hire 350 more contact tracers to help control the spread of the coronavirus. After the funding is allocated to pay them, it will bring the state’s total to 900.
We set a goal to test every resident and staff member in long-term-care in June, and today I’m pleased to say that nursing homes, and assisted-living and residential-care facilities will be able to resume limited family visits and other activities on July 1 if they have complied with the pub…
As Arkansas began Phase Two of its gradual reopening of businesses and social activities, the governor issued three executive orders related to the coronavirus outbreak.
A federal judge upheld the constitutionality of lethal injection procedures used in Arkansas for carrying out the death penalty.
Arkansas’s Commission on Law-Enforcement Standards and Training is constantly examining ways to improve the already high quality of law enforcement in our state, and today I’d like to talk about the task force I’ve created to further that good work.
State revenues have gone down because of the economic consequences of the coronavirus outbreak, but not as much as Arkansas budget officials had feared.
We saw peaceful protests, and unfortunately, some violence and criminal behavior across Arkansas last week. Today, I’d like to talk about our duty to protect free expression and the proper response of law enforcement when there is violence or destruction of property.
More than 10,500 Arkansas businesses have been approved for grants to reimburse them for the expenses of protecting the health of employees and customers.
The Economic Recovery Task Force has submitted its interim report to me, and today I’d like to talk about some of the steps we need to take to boost our economy after COVID-19.
Disruptions in the food supply chain affect more than the quantity of products on the grocery store shelves.
Today I’d like to talk about our COVID-19 testing and a new partnership with the Arkansas Community Health Centers.
May is National Foster Care Awareness Month, and today I’d like to thank our foster families and all the people who work so hard to put our neediest children in homes and other safe settings.
Arkansas is gradually opening up businesses and public activities, under careful monitoring by public health officials to avoid bringing on a second wave of the coronavirus.
The next few weeks will determine whether Arkansas moves forward or backward on the way to re-opening businesses.
This has been a good week in Arkansas. We have made progress in containing COVID-19, so I was able to announce some good news about our path back to normal.
Today I’d like to talk about our plans to shift our economy out of low gear as we look to life after the worst of this health crisis has passed.
When Arkansas makes it past the peak of the coronavirus outbreak, restrictions on businesses and social interactions will be loosened carefully, always with the goal in mind to prevent a second wave of the pandemic.
Today I’d like to a talk about the improvements we’ve made to our unemployment benefits system. I want to assure the thousands of Arkansans who have lost a job because of the COVID-19 pandemic that we are working diligently to get the benefits out the door.
The legislature completed the 2020 fiscal session in record time, approving a balanced budget that funds state government spending of $5.68 billion.
The sudden and severe economic downturn caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus means that the 2020 fiscal session will be the most difficult one for legislators since Arkansas voters first voted to establish fiscal sessions 12 years ago.
Today I’d like to talk about the professionals who are on the front lines at the hospitals and clinics all over Arkansas who are treating our COVID-19 patients and doing the critically important testing work.
Today I want to discuss the steps we have taken together to fight the coronavirus called COVID-19.
Surprise medical billing occurs when you go see a doctor or hospital for a needed medical service and get hit with a denied medical claim because the provider is out of your insurance network. As a result, you receive a large bill in the mail for the services.
On March 11, I signed an executive order that declared a public health emergency in Arkansas, and every day since has brought new challenges in our efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.
The legislature convened in special session to address potential revenue shortfalls, resulting from the sudden economic downturn caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus.
The COVID-19 pandemic has required us to rethink how we do things in our personal lives from education to our business, and how we entertain ourselves.
To cushion the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak on working families, the state has streamlined the process of applying for unemployment insurance.
Today I would like to commend the responsive and responsible leaders of Arkansas who have linked arms to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our state.
Pay raises have been proposed for direct care employees at the state’s five centers for people with multiple disabilities.
The legislature has begun budget hearings in preparation for the 2020 fiscal session, which convenes on April 8 and is scheduled to last a month.
Census Day is less than a month away, and today I’d like to share some advice from the United States Census Bureau that will ensure we count as many people as possible.
When the news about the coronavirus emerged, the members of Arkansas’s health care and medical communities began putting in place the plans to fight the illness.
An Arkansas success story that is attracting national attention is the expansion of computer science classes in public schools over the past five years.
In the past two years, the number of youths in state custody has declined by nearly 30 percent, and today I’d like to discuss some of the changes we have made to achieve that.
Last year the legislature voted to conduct an extensive review of the operations of the Arkansas Department of Transportation, to identify areas where improvements could be made.
Every month in Arkansas, an average of 20 to 30 young people get in trouble with the law and are placed in the custody of the Division of Youth Services.
The brick house at 1207 W. 28th St. stands at the intersection of the United States civil rights movement and Little Rock.
During the first week it was available, about 600 Arkansans took advantage of a new online service to schedule the driving portion of their test to get a driver’s license.
Seventy years ago this month, Gov. Sid McMath and his family moved into the brand-new governor’s residence, and this week, some of the First Families who have lived there joined the First Lady and me to celebrate the anniversary.
In April the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments on an Arkansas law that has potentially far-reaching implications for the health care, pharmaceutical and insurance industries.
Today, I’d like to honor an exceptional Arkansan, Forrest Wood, one of our preeminent outdoorsmen and entrepreneurs, who passed away last week.
The Arkansas Levee Task Force has completed its final report, with recommendations on how to pay for maintenance and repairs, and how to best gauge the current condition of levees.
Today I’d like to talk about the ways the state Revenue Office has made life easier for its customers – who are the taxpayers of Arkansas.
Thanks to legislation enacted in 1993, Arkansas continues to experience a competitive market for workers’ compensation insurance.
Today I’d like to discuss my decision to allow a limited number of refugees to relocate legally in Arkansas after they have been vetted and cleared by agencies of the United States. The refugees are coming here after suffering violence and religious persecution. Others are allowed in because…
Today I would like to talk about the recommendations that the Arkansas Levee Task Force submitted to me this week in its final report.
Over the past decade, greater numbers of Arkansas children have been diagnosed with disabilities that require them to receive education.
When I was running for governor in 2014, I promised to cut our income taxes by $100 million. With the support of the general assembly, we not only kept that promise, but over the course of the past five years, we have reduced our income taxes by over $250 million each year.
The Legislative Council endorsed a plan for two southeast Arkansas counties to contract with a private company to build and operate a 600-bed prison.
