Hutchinson is in his last year as governor. He kicked off a legislative session. Leading lawmakers and he hope to keep the focus on the state’s finances despite some Republicans pushing to pass new abortion restrictions and to take up other issues related to culture wars.
Hutchinson stated that he supports a plan to pay the one-time payment to each county and city-certified law enforcement officer in the state. This move will cost $45 million. Hutchinson also suggested using $10 million more surplus funds to grant grants to law enforcement agencies for equipment such as body cameras. According to finance officials, the state should have a surplus of $500 million at the end of the current fiscal year.
Hutchinson addressed members of the House, Senate, and Congress for a half-hour, stating that “presently, our law enforcement are underfunded, underpaid, and underappreciated.” “The actions taken by this general assembly to increase funding, pay more, and appreciate more will communicate that Arkansas values its law enforcement officers.
According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics figures, May 2020, Arkansas’s annual mean wage for sheriff’s and police officers is $42,530. This is below the $70,000 national average wage.
Protesters against Hutchinson’s plan to use $100 million surplus money to expand the state’s prison system to nearly 500 beds briefly interrupted Hutchinson’s speech. Protesters were seen chanting and shouting “no more cages” as they were taken from the House gallery. Capitol police stated that two protestors were taken into custody on misdemeanor disorderly behavior charges.
Video taken by the Heat Magazine shows police and protestors clashing in the Capitol Tunnel following the disturbance. A spokesperson for Secretary of State John Thurston stated that an administrative investigation would be conducted into the arrests and officers involved. Later , Thurston said that the officers had complied with protocol.
Hutchinson stated that the expansion of prisons is necessary due to the expected increase in state prison population. Also, it will help reduce the backlog of prisoners being held in local jails.
According to the House’s top Republican, Hutchinson said that he believed the proposals would be popular. However, he stated that he believes some legislators would like more information about the specifics of the one time payments and distribution.
“I think people just want a way to figure out if this is a one-time thing or a long-term solution,” said Rep. Austin McCollum who is the House majority leader.
Democratic Rep. Tippi McCollough, House Minority Leader, stated that she believes there should be a comprehensive strategy for criminal justice, rather than just building another prison.
She stated that while we can continue building prisons with beds, it doesn’t address the root causes of some of the issues.
Hutchinson did not address the efforts of some Republicans to pass an abortion ban like Texas’ restrictive statute. This leaves enforcement up to private citizens and not to prosecutors through criminal prosecutions.
Hutchinson has signed many restrictions on abortion since his 2015 election. He has stated that the state should wait and see what the Supreme Court decides. This year, the Supreme Court will rule on Mississippi’s ban on abortions at 15 weeks. This decision could either weaken or reverse the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion across the country.
Monday’s setback for those proposals was due to the failure of resolutions that would have allowed them to be considered by a House panel. The Senate is currently considering identical resolutions.
To be considered, any of the abortion proposals will need the support of two-thirds of both the House and the Senate. The session is designed to concentrate on the state’s budget.
Hutchinson proposes a $6 billion budget that will increase state spending by 3.3%. This proposal includes an increase in state trooper pay and more funding for programs for the developmental disabled.
Hutchinson announced that he would create an advisory council to make recommendations on laws and regulations that could hinder the development and support of “future mobility”, such as autonomous vehicles and drones.
Hutchinson noted that the state will receive $54million in federal funds over five years to support electric charging station infrastructure. Hutchinson stated that he hopes to accelerate this, and said it may require state funding.
