Republicans, Democrats Raise Questions About Ready for Business Program Rollout

The Arkansas Ready for Business program ran into issues from the start when Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Commerce Secretary Mike Preston announced the initiative on April 29. The website for the program went live before the initial funding got approval from the Arkansas Legislative Council and the money ran out in under an hour leading some to speculate about the fairness of the process. Republican lawmakers questioned Preston Friday and on Monday, the Democratic Party of Arkansas called for a bipartisan investigation.