Arkansas politics

Over half a million Arkansans don't have access to broadband internet. Senator Jim Hendren is the founder of Common Ground, whose mission is to promote good ideas that make Arkansas a better state, regardless of party affiliation.

Each year, the Clinton Foundation hosts a contest encouraging Arkansas high school students to address some of today’s most pressing challenges by turning their good ideas into action plans.This year’s winner of the Ideas Matter Scholarship Essay was Aswhin Marathe, who wrote about political polarization, and his plans to combat it with more civic engagement from students.

John Brummett, political columnist for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and Roby Brock, with our partner Talk Business and Politics, cover plenty of ground in their weekly conversation. There is the decision for Arkansas to end participation in a federal supplemental unemployment program. There is the move to oust Liz Cheney from a leadership position within the GOP House membership. And — will we build bridges (literal or metaphorical) any time soon?

In his weekly conversation with Roby Brock, of Talk Business and Politics, John Brummett, a political columnist with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, considers recent Arkansas legislation regarding guns and what it says about the current state of politics.

For decades, politics in Conway County moved with Marlin Hawkins. He was an elected official who created an efficient political machine that propelled him to 40 years in office. We use archives from the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History with Randy Dixon as our guide to learn more about Hawkins' legacy.

To raise awareness surrounding proposed hate crimes legislation, the Urban League of the State of Arkansas and its partners announced their Arkansas United Against Hate campaign at the state Capitol yesterday. Meanwhile, Republican legislators filed a new bill that they say will address class protections.

Evelyn Rios Stafford, who is a Washington County Justice of the Peace and the first openly transgender elected official in Arkansas, met with Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday after the state legislature passed the SAFE Act, or House Bill 1570, the day before. The bill would ban minors from receiving gender-affirming healthcare and penalize doctors who attempt to provide it. The governor has not yet signed or vetoed the bill.

A bill that would put new restrictions on absentee voting in Arkansas has advanced to the full House for a vote. Among a number of changes to the current system, House Bill 1715 from Rep. Mark Lowery, R-Maumelle, would lower the number of absentee ballot applications a person can obtain without opening them up to allegation of voter fraud. Opponents say the bill doesn't seek to fix any actual issues with absentee voting.

This week's Northwest Arkansas Business Journal Report includes a survey of business conducted by the Arkansas legislature since January. Rex Nelson, a senior editor and columnist at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, provides perspective.