The 91st General Assembly
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Marijuana Commission which will meet to create guidelines to regulate production of the plant, sale and access to those with qualifying conditions. Substantial state revenues created from the sale of marijuana would not be realized immediate- ly, while administrative costs to the state are front loaded. Ul- timately, a strategy must be created that ensures public safety, while respecting the will of the majority vote. Te governor presented his balanced budget recommenda- tions to the legislature in early November. One hundred mil- lion dollars in income tax reductions for the middle class was approved in 2015 and phased into fiscal year 2017. He has asked the legislature to consider another $50 million over the next biennium. Te state’s economy has made steady strides under Gov. Hutchinson’s leadership, and unemployment is at record lows. We will continue to move the needle in favor of tax cuts and tools used for economic development while keep- ing a watchful eye on revenues to support vital services. When Cindy Gillespie was hired as the new director of the Depart-
ment of Human Services, one of the many tasks she was given was to fix a foster care system in crisis. Putting that organiza- tion on the right path will be neither easy nor will it come without significant costs to the state. Effective and efficient processes will be key in creating long-term savings. Te Senate Education Committee recently completed its adequacy report, which creates the formula for which K-12 public schools are funded over the next two years. Addition- ally, legislators will be given the chance to look at funding for our public universities and colleges. Governor Hutchin- son has requested a formula that will reward outcomes rather than enrollment, and proposed an additional $10 million in FY2019. Te details of that plan and how they affect indi- vidual institutions are yet to be determined. Overall, the outlook of the 91st General Assembly is cau- tiously optimistic. Making predictions on outcomes is some- what like picking college football games. It always seems dif- ficult to determine what will happen until the game begins.
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disservice to Arkansans focusing on just tax cuts that benefit a segment of our population. Let’s find the courage to research and pass reform. Another important element to our economy is broadband.
Not long ago we were all making decisions on where to live based on school districts, upkeep of the neighborhood or the commute to work. Now people are making decisions on where to live based on the availability of broadband. Te unfortunate part for our state is that nearly 60 percent
of Arkansans do not have access to high-speed broadband. We have had a group of legislators studying the best way to provide this necessity. You will see legislation introduced as a result. I’m looking forward to more interaction with our county and city leaders this year, as I will be serving on the committee for City, County, and Local Affairs. Tis session, I will also be serving on the Judiciary Commit-
tee. I expect we will hear vigorous debate on judicial appoint- ments and tort reform. Recommendations from the Criminal
Justice Reform Task Force will also be brought to our commit- tee. Tis will be an area where we will rely heavily on input from our county sheriffs and judges. When it comes to education, Arkansas will be hearing a great deal of discussion on the benefits of professional learning com- munities. Professional learning communities within a school asks four essential questions. What do we want students to know? How will we know when they know it? What do we do when they don’t know it? And what do we do when they do know it? Tese simple questions are designed to build a collaborative
culture for each school. I’m very humbled that the Arkansas General Assembly elect- ed me to serve in select company. Only four other individu- als before me have had the opportunity to serve two terms as Speaker of the Arkansas House. I take this honor very seriously. I will take the lessons I’ve learned from mistakes and those from successes to ensure this opportunity is not squandered.
By the numbers Senate
Republicans: 26 Democrats: 9
32 House
Republicans: 75 Democrats: 25
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