First, we are in a very different financial situation. The surplus from 2007 has been used for worthwhile and needed projects, and we are asking state agencies to pare down their budget requests.  Last fall, the Legislative Council and Joint Budget Committees met daily to review agency budget requests. The recommendations from those committees are being presented to Joint Budget for approval, and then submitted to the House and Senate. I am honored to serve as Vice Chair of Joint Budget, under the guidance of Rep. Bruce Maloch, House Chair and Senator Gilbert Baker, Senate Chair.  In addition, the Speaker has appointed me to Chair the Special Language Subcommittee of Joint Budget, a challenging and important subcommittee.

Second, as you know, we passed the tobacco tax recently in this session. While I heard from some of you who opposed this measure, I heard from many more that supported it. It comes down to this for me: saving lives. This measure will fund the trauma system, saving the lives of Arkansans. We will be able to keep our rural healthcare centers open. More women will be screened for breast and cervical cancer. Seniors will receive good meals, and be able to stay in their homes rather than moving to more expensive nursing homes.  The citizens of Arkansas pay for over $620 million in smoking related illnesses each year. We will also save money for all Arkansans by decreasing this number.

Third, we are tasked with setting up the framework for implementing the scholarship lottery. Important decisions will be made as to the structure of the agency or commission that oversees the lottery, how the benefits will be distributed, what type of oversight will be established, and more. We expect to have the 100 page bill very soon. I’ll put the highlights on the website for you to review.

Fourth, I am pleased that my first bill has been signed into law by Governor Beebe. This bill corrects some “unintended consequences” from a bill passed last session regarding age requirements for Pre-K and Kindergarten.   Little Rock School District students will be able to enroll in Kindergarten with their classmates from Pre-K. I

Fifth, as a second term legislator, I feel a little more knowledgeable about the issues. There is so much to learn and so many issues to deal with, one cannot know everything about every issue (or really, every thing about one issue). I have spent many hours during the interim working primarily on budget and climate change issues. Within the next few weeks, I will file bills related to these topics, as well as other pieces of legislation. Many of the bills are related to topics that you have requested, and I thank you for your attention to the public policy issues we face.  And, I hope you will visit our updated website in a week or so, and use it as a resource to stay involved and informed. We will provide links to various topics, as well as include the highlights from each week of the session. I look forward to hearing from you, and as always, appreciate the responsibility you have given me.

Kathy Webb