By Joyce O. Ajayi and Joseph Johns Since our last blog post titled “Enhancing Arkansas FOIA for Accountability and Transparency” on Tuesday morning, September 12, there have been significant developments. By Tuesday night, lawmakers had introduced a new set of Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (AFOIA) bills. Notably, Senate Bill 10 and House Bill 1012 […]
Enhancing Arkansas FOIA for Accountability and Transparency
By Joyce O. Ajayi and Joseph Johns On Friday, September 8, 2023, Governor Sarah Sanders announced that a special session would begin at the Arkansas Capitol on Monday, September 11. In her announcement of the special session, the Governor hinted at potential amendments to the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (AFOIA). She specifically mentioned a […]
Fall 2023 — Welcome Back!
by Jeremy Horpedahl, Director, Arkansas Center for Research in Economics Welcome back from summer! We at ACRE are excited for the new academic year to begin at UCA and for all the students to return to campus. UCA students will have a lot of opportunities through ACRE to learn more about the world of economics […]
Arkansas Center for Research in Economics Awards 70 Scholarships this Academic Year
by Michelle Stoll, ACRE Communications Manager Each semester, The Arkansas Center for Research in Economics (ACRE) gives UCA students the opportunity to apply for scholarships by participating in one of its weekly reading groups, such as the economics group, law group, philosophy group and Biz@Bear group. This academic year $28,700 was awarded for 70 reading […]
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 […]
Occupational Licensing Successes and Shortcomings in 2021
By Alex Kanode The 2021 legislative session saw many changes concerning licensing of occupations in Arkansas. The Red Tape Reduction Working Group released a 2018 report stating that there were 704,141 occupational licenses in Arkansas. That amounted to 52 percent of the state’s labor force at the time, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, […]
ACRE Expert Discusses Recent Changes to Civil Asset Forfeiture
By Caleb Taylor What changes to civil asset forfeiture in Arkansas were made during the recent legislative session? ACRE Research and Program Assistant Zach Burt analyzed “The Arkansas Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2021,” also known as Act 1023 in “Need better law” in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on June 5th. Burt defines civil asset […]
A Widely Supported Solution to Healthcare Shortages
By Caleb Taylor How diverse is the support for allowing nurse practitioners to practice up to their level of training? The consensus that nurse practitioners should be allowed to do more is “widespread,” according to a “A Broad Consensus on Expanding Nurse Practitioners’ Scope of Practice,” by ACRE Director and UCA Associate Professor of Economics […]
Nurse Practitioner Rule Change Could Help Underserved Arkansans
By Caleb Taylor How can Arkansas improve its health and access to medical care throughout the state? In “Addressing Arkansas’s Health Services Shortages By Empowering Nurse Practitioners” by UCA Associate Professor and ACRE Director Dr. David Mitchell, notes that Arkansas doesn’t have enough primary care health service providers to keep up with demand. HPSAs are […]
Faulkner County Takes Another Step Forward on Transparency
By Joyce Ajayi and Mavuto Kalulu Faulkner County continued its transparency progress in 2020. On October 20, 2020, the Faulkner County Quorum Court passed into law the County Board Transparency Report Ordinance, Ordinance 20-21. Kris Kendrick, Justice of the Peace (Dist. 9), introduced this legislation to help enhance county government transparency. The ordinance will increase […]