The Benton County House delegation continued to hear about their near-unanimous vote against the tobacco tax, this time as a group. Brenda Blagg of the Morning News went to the 3rd District Caucus breakfast this morning. John Tyson — University of Arkansas trustee, Northwest Arkansas Council leader and poultry executive — addressed the group. He said [...]
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
A statewide system of trauma care should be up and running within a year, Gov. Mike Beebe said at the news conference following the signing of the tobacco tax. Also, the medical school expansion in Fayetteville will be up and running by the fall, said Dr. Peter Kohler, dean of the campus. There will be a [...]
Friday, February 13, 2009
Gov. Mike Beebe will sign the tobacco tax at a ceremony in the Capitol rotunda at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The tobacco tax passed the state Senate 28 to 7 with votes from both senators who live in Benton County and one of the two senators living in Washington County. The measure needed a super-majority of 27 votes to pass. Sens. Cecile Bledsoe, R-Rogers, and Kim Hendren, R-Gravette, voted for the bill. So did Sen. [...]
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
A roll call put the vote at 5 to 2. Now the 56-cent-per-pack increase goes to the Sentate floor. Sens. Terry Smith, D-Hot Springs, and Sharon Trusty, R-Russellville, voted against the “do pass” recommendation. Committee member Sen. Denny Altes, R-Fort Smith, wasn’t there. Other members who all voted for it are: Sens. Paul Miller, D-Melbourne; [...]
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Sen. Paul Miller, D-Melbourne, confirmed a little while ago that he’s bringing the tobacco tax bill (HB 1204) up in the Senate Revenue and Tax Committee at 10 a.m. tomorrow. He ought to know. He’s the chairman of the committee.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
A 56-cent increase per pack of cigarettes and proportional increase on other tobacco products passed 75 to 24, with the needed three-quarters majority. This is a huge victory for both the governor, who proposed the program, and House Speaker Robbie Wills, D-Conway, who ran the bill only days after rallies against it and a little more [...]
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Passed with 75 votes. Mandatory roll call going on now.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Like almost everyone else in the Capitol, I’ll be watching the tobacco tax vote this afternoon in the House if it comes off as expected. I’ll make one firm prediction — that there will be guards at the doors when somebody makes a motion to “sound the ballot” if the tax passes. That procedural move [...]
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Wal-Mart and the Rogers-Lowell Chamber hosted a well-attended legislative reception yesterday evening at the Clinton Presidential Library. The number of lawmakers who weren’t from Rogers or Wal-Mart’s Northwest Arkansas headquarters area was especially notable. They included: House Speaker Robbie Wills, D-Conway; Senate Majority Leader Joyce Elliot, D-Little Rock; and Senate Education Committee chairman Jimmy Jeffress, [...]
Monday, February 2, 2009
House Rules Committee will take up the tobacco tax on Wednesday, House Speaker Robbie Wills just confirmed. The tobacco tax vote could happen as early as Thursday. UPDATE: Also, there’s a post-adjournment House caucus on Wednesday. I’ll get more detail if I can.
Monday, February 2, 2009
House Speaker Robbie Wills, D-Conway, says flat out in a Sunday entry on his blog that the House will vote on the proposed tobacco tax increase this week. That’s House Bill 1204. Just a week ago the governor was warning what a long, hard fight this would be. Granted, victory in the House wouldn’t be the [...]
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey will get invited to a debate when he arrives hear to oppose the tobacco tax increase, I’m told. The Step-Up Coalition, an affiliation of 30 organizations that favor policies that stop tobacco use, will issue the challenge.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey will hold a press conference next week on behalf of FreedomWorks, a conservative anti-tax advocacy group, in opposition to the governor’s proposed cigarette tax hike. Arkansas GOP political director Chase Duggar confirmed the visit Thursday morning. Armey’s news conference is tentatively scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday on the Capitol, [...]
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Dick Armey, a former congressional leader for the GOP and anti-tax advocate, is coming to Little Rock next week, tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, for a news conference to oppose plans to raise tobacco taxes. The Arkansas GOP confirmed the trip this morning. Details in my next post in a few minutes.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Sen. Bill Pritchard, R-Elkins, is a long, long way from happy that the governor’s office is offering more than $85 million in proposed state taxpayer money for health spending and not adding any new spending for drug courts and substance abuse treatment. Addictions are a great threat to lives, Pritchard said, forcing the director of [...]
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
If I were a betting man, I’d bet that what the governor wants on health — trauma centers, the medical school, regional health, the works — gets presented at 10 a.m. in the Senate Public Health Committee. I’ll be doing some blogging from there if I’m right.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
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