Martha Shoffner: Innocent Until Proven Guilty or Guilty Until Proven Innocent?

May 20, 2013 4 Comments
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A lot has happened since we broke the news Saturday night that State Treasurer Martha Shoffner had been arrested by the FBI (officially the biggest story in the history of The Arkansas Project, by the way, shattering the record that was set only a few weeks ago when we broke the news about constitutional carry).  At the time, it wasn’t clear why she had been placed in the Pulaski County jail. However, this lack of evidence did not stop two Arkansas political figures from simultaneously … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Arkansas Democrats, Arkansas Politics Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Warring Messages of the Private Option

May 17, 2013 5 Comments
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At the Saline County TEA Party meeting last week, Rep. Andy Mayberry told his constituents that the struggle over the private option made him feel like he was being forced to jump out of the third story of a burning building: There’s no way, if I just stand there, that I’m going to survive. I’m gonna burn. There’s a window over here that I can choose to jump out of and I might die in that fall. I know I’m going to die if I stay there and don’t do anything. But I might just survive … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 General Assembly, Arkansas Legislature, Medicaid, Obamacare Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Constitutional Carry: Governor’s Impression or Legislative Intent?

April 25, 2013 14 Comments
A new map of Arkansas.

Our post earlier in the week about Act 746 -- and the possibility that it brought constitutional carry to Arkansas -- has created a bit of a stir. In fact, that story has gotten more pageviews than any story in the history of The Arkansas Project, even including the fabled Kinkade Era. This is no small accomplishment. Our story has been referenced by a multitude of websites and newspapers; it was even a brief topic of discussion on KARK-4 this morning. That discussion has often invoked the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 General Assembly, 2nd Amendment, Arkansas Legislature, Gallery, Gun Rights Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Et Tu, Republicans? No Meaningful Tax Cuts For Arkansans

April 18, 2013 7 Comments
promises_made

For many weeks, the people of Arkansas have been led to believe that once the legislature passed Medicaid expansion, it would then produce significant tax relief. We have documented these assurances in our previous coverage -- and repeatedly emphasized that the cuts were in no way linked to Medicaid expansion as a matter of policy, but perhaps only as a matter of politics. Boy, were we right. As you probably know, the Senate signed off on funding for Medicaid expansion yesterday, signaling … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 General Assembly, Arkansas Legislature, Arkansas Republicans, Economic Policy, Gallery, Tax Reform Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

New Poll Shows Plurality Less Likely to Support “Private Option,” Oppose Medicaid Expansion

April 8, 2013 2 Comments
private option poll

Today, as the Advance Arkansas Institute kicks off their Medicaid town hall tour across the state, AAI has released a new scientific poll on the “private option” plan. The Senate passed the plan on Friday, although the results of this survey suggest that a 75 percent vote (which will be required in order to spend Medicaid money) will be difficult to achieve. According to the poll, a plurality of Arkansans are “less likely” to support expansion under the private option model -- they … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 General Assembly, Arkansas Democrats, Arkansas Legislature, Health Care Reform, Medicaid, Obamacare Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

“Private Option” Clears First Hurdle in Senate, But Fight Is Just Beginning

April 5, 2013 2 Comments
Private option is Obamacare

This morning, by a vote of 24-9, the Senate passed SB1020 or the “private option” version of Medicaid expansion. Two members did not vote. While the passage of the bill is no doubt significant, this is only the beginning of a long legislative process. The bill now goes to the House and, assuming it passes there, it will go to the governor and become law -- but that’s not the end of the ballgame. The legislature also would have to pass a separate appropriations bill to fund the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 General Assembly, Arkansas Legislature, Medicaid, Obamacare Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

AFP on Medicaid: ‘Take Time To Get It Right’

April 4, 2013 Leave a Comment
pelosi_oh_no_ap

Our friends at AFP-Arkansas have released a new ad against the Medicaid "private option." You should take 30 seconds to watch it because, well, it's really good: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 General Assembly, Arkansas Legislature, Medicaid, Obamacare Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Obamacare Is Crumbling — But No One Told Mark Pryor

March 28, 2013 2 Comments
Pryor-Obama

Last week, the U.S. Senate passed a nonbinding resolution by 79-20 to repeal the Medical Device Tax. This tax, which went into effect in January, is scheduled to suck about $30 billion out of the economy over the next 10 years. The vote garnered significant bipartisan support: 34 Senate Democrats voted for the measure. Many of these Democrats -- including Arkansas’s son Mark Pryor -- voted for the original Obamacare bill, so the vote indicates a significant shift. It spells bad news for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Gallery, Medicaid, Obamacare Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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