By Joseph Johns The Arkansas Legislature adjourned its Special Session today after accelerating income tax cuts it passed during special session of late 2021. The legislature chose to move the tax cuts forward due to a historic state surplus of over $1.6 billion as of June 30, 2022. SB1 lowered the top marginal individual income […]
ACRE Review
What Should Arkansas Do With Its Budget Surplus? Better Budget Rules Are Needed in the Future
by Joseph Johns Arkansas recently reported the highest budget surplus in state history, a record-setting $1.628 billion as of June 30, 2022. While this is good news in some respects, the true history of state surpluses reveals a disturbing trend that needs to be addressed. Arkansas has run a surplus for 22 of the past […]
Should Attracting Business to Arkansas Rely on Legislation That Plays Favorites?
by Dr. Jeremy Horpedahl The arrival of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel Corp’s new sustainable and technologically advanced mill in Osceola, Arkansas promises to bring jobs and revenue to the state. This is something most of us can get behind. However, the way the deal was secured raises concerns for a free and fair marketplace. The legislature […]
What’s the Rush? Upcoming Special Election in Conway is Important, but Turnout May Be Low
by Dr. Jeremy Horpedahl In just a few days on February 8th, Conway residents will be asked to vote on almost $40 million worth of bond issues. “Bond issues” may sound boring, but these would fund new amenities in Conway: a community center, pool, fitness center, and soccer complex. Conway residents have reason to be […]
Farewell to Christy Horpedahl
We are both happy and sad that Christy Horpedahl has left her role as Assistant Director of the Arkansas Center for Research in Economics. She begins a new position as an Editor for Liberty Fund, a private educational foundation established to enrich the understanding and appreciation of the complex nature of a society of free […]
Sunset Review Committee Meets to Discuss Athletic Trainer Licensing
Does Arkansas make it harder for athletic trainers to do their job? On November 18th, the Occupational Licensing Review Subcommittee of the Arkansas State Legislature met to review licensing requirements from several state licensing boards. Included among these was the State Board of Athletic Trainers. Athletic trainers are skilled professionals that specialize in preventing and […]
Open the Books!
By Joyce O. Ajayi Did you know that since the pandemic, the U.S. Treasury has disbursed to Arkansas a one-time influx of about $2.8 billion under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)? That’s almost $1,000 per Arkansan. Of these funds, about $1 billion is designated as Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (LFRF). The LFRF is designed […]
What is occupational licensing, and how does it affect Arkansans? Answers from ACRE Researcher Zachary Burt on Believe in Arkansas
Occupational licensing is a government issued permission slip to work for some people in certain professions. Roughly one in five US workers need such a permission slip. The Institute for Justice, a public-interest law firm, ranked Arkansas as the 6th most burdensome state for licensing in their latest edition of License to Work, a publication […]
Dr. Horpedahl Explains Tax Proposals on Capitol View
Dr. Jeremy Horpedahl, ACRE Scholar and UCA Associate Professor of Economics, recently appeared on the television program Capitol View with host Jay Bir. They discussed Arkansas’s tax system and how recently proposed changes by Gov. Hutchinson might impact Arkansas taxpayers and the state budget. You can watch the full interview online from KARK. The changes […]