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  (January 2015) Forty (40)1 Arkansas counties–more than half of the state’s 75 counties–have lost population since the 2000 Census, U.S. Census Bureau data2 show. The population losses illustrate the state’s uneven economic development3, with counties in rural east and south Arkansas losing population in the 21st century, while urban, suburban and exurban counties in […]

Policymakers Ignore Liens, Raise Taxes, Can’t House Criminals  (January 26, 2015) Documents1 obtained by the Policy Foundation from the state Department of Finance and Administration show total outstanding tax liens number 178,612 and total $735,470,927, while policymakers raise taxes and fail to fully reimburse counties for housing state inmates in county jails.   DFA filed 70,525 […]

(January 2015) Fiscal action taken by the 90th General Assembly has focused on income and capital gains tax rates,1 while ignoring Arkansas’ non-competitive top corporate tax rate, among the highest in the region.   Arkansas’ top2 corporate tax rate is in the top tier of states in the region:3   Louisiana        8.5% Arkansas        6.5% Tennessee […]

Summary: Arkansas Medicaid spending is fiscally unsustainable.  Medicaid’s unfunded liabilities must be identified. Strict program limits must be imposed.   (December 2014) Medicaid expansion has proven a contentious issue for Arkansas policymakers, with Republicans divided over a signature Democratic issue.  One group supported expansion; the other backs repeal. Expansion opponents have significant leverage in the state Senate.  They […]

November 2014) Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson will keynote the Policy Foundation’s 20th anniversary Recognition Reception on Thursday, Dec. 17 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Little Rock Club on the 30th Floor of the Regions Center (400 West Capitol Avenue).   Policy Foundation volunteers and supporters will be honored at the event.   […]

“State Line Road is the boundary that separates the Arkansas and Texas sides of Texarkana, a border town … State Line, to the casual observer, is merely another road separating two states.  But for those in the neighborhood, the road represents something of a great divide.”           Policy Foundation, 20071   (November 2014) A new book from the Univ. of […]

Summary: Arkansas graduates benefit from a dynamic business climate that creates jobs and paychecks, not from political wishes that ignore economics.   (October 2014) An oft-stated goal of Arkansas public officials is to increase the number of students graduating from state colleges and universities.  Arkansas Department of Higher Education Director Shane Broadway, a state legislator for […]

Summary: A healthy state economy creates new jobs at rates greater than or equal to the U.S. average.  Public assistance is seen as short-term aid, not a multi-year entitlement.  Two metrics (employment growth, food stamp usage1) illustrate problems with the Arkansas economy since January 2007.   (October 2014) Arkansas payroll employment has declined, and the number of […]

“The new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is a burden on Arkansas taxpayers, though executive branch officials are in denial about its budget exposure. Legislators need to understand that nationalized medical insurance, in the economic long term, will restrict their ability to fund services like public education that are required under the Arkansas […]

  (September 2014) An amendment by Arkansas Medicaid expansion proponents is inadequate because it fails to estimate unfunded liabilities, according to a public comment submitted to state and federal authorities by the Policy Foundation.  The comment notes, “An estimate of unfunded liabilities is consistent with principles of open government, i.e., transparency.   The Policy Foundation’s public comment […]