Leadership
Rep. Michael John Gray House Minority Leader
s we approach the start of the 91st General As- sembly there is no shortage of topics up for discus- sion. Whether it be medical marijuana, education or tax cuts that lead the conversation; an issue’s impact on the budget will play a significant role. Te governor has indicated that there is room in the budget for tax cuts, so the question becomes how to balance these cuts with other impending priorities. While there will be many issues com- peting for priority, education, broadband access and highway funding will be among those most discussed.
A Education
It is impossible to want the best for our next generation without ensuring that all children have the opportunity to receive a quality education. It is critical these educational op- portunities start early to ensure we offer a strong start to even our youngest learners. Te perfect way to do this is to make sure pre-K is available to every child. Study after study has demonstrated a link between pre-K and improved social, emotional and academic outcomes for students. Children who have access to quality, affordable pre-K programs have a better chance of graduating from high school and going on to attend college. In addition, pre-K allows parents to return to the workforce with the knowledge that their children are in a nurturing and learning-rich environ- ment. Certainly, pre-K is a better investment than spending exponentially more dollars on juvenile or adult incarceration. Across Arkansas, local chambers of commerce have become so convinced of the positive link between pre-K and workforce development that many have adopted pre-K as one of their top priorities. Even economic impact studies show that for ev- ery dollar we invest in pre-K, we get $7 in return.
COUNTY LINES, FALL 2016 Emphasis on Infrastructure
Safety of the roads and bridges throughout the state is not a headline topic until it’s time to find the money to pay for the upkeep. As counties in every part of the state deal with budget constraints, legislators will be faced with find- ing solutions to highway funding that do not create even more burdens at the city and county levels. While much of the conversation is usually about new construction, there are many people who would just like to see safer shoulders and rural highways that do not look like patchwork quilts. Long- term solutions that focus not only on new construction, but also on needed maintenance and dedicated ways to pay for it must be a focus.
Increased Access to Internet Service Just as access to electricity and water is vital to our lives and
the lives of our children, the ability to use the Internet is rap- idly joining them as a must-have. It is no longer a luxury like cable television. Our schools are utilizing technology to im- prove the opportunities for our children, but when school is out, access to the Internet is over for many of them. Just as the leaders in the 1940s convinced the government that electricity to rural Arkansas was a matter of life and death, today we must remind them that affordable access to the quality Internet ser- vice must have the same importance or our children will not be able to compete and our communities will not survive. Te 91st will be all about priorities, with our No. 1 priority
being reasonable and responsible legislators who are working to make life in Arkansas better for everyone. Tese issues may not necessarily be the ones that get the most discussion at the coffee shop, but hopefully they’ll make a difference at your kitchen table.
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The 91st General Assembly
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