Legislature makes sure Arkansas Works works its way through

Legislature makes sure Arkansas Works works its way through

As many of you may have read or heard, it has been a fast moving fiscal session at the Capitol with difficult decisions before us.

On Wednesday the Senate approved Senate Bill 121, and the House approved it on Thursday.

SB121 is the appropriation bill for services and operating expenses for the Department of Human Services Division of Medical Services.

It includes appropriations for long-term care facilities, AR Kids First, and hospital and medical services.

This is also the appropriation to fund the services provided by Arkansas Works, the healthcare insurance program for low-income Arkansans.

However, an amendment approved by the Joint Budget Committee adds a sunset clause to a portion of the bill which would end funding for Arkansas Works on Dec. 31, 2016.

The Governor has said that he will veto this particular line-item in order to keep Arkansas Works fully funded. Without funding for Arkansas Works, Governor Hutchinson says the state budget would be left with a $143 million hole that would require across-the-board cuts to government agencies that fund higher education, healthcare, highways, and numerous other programs.

House members refused to vote on any bills until this matter was resolved in the Senate. This was done by several members, including myself, refusing to vote for the General Appropriation Act to fund their own salaries until the outcome of SB121 and the impact to the state budget was known.

Our constitution says this act must pass before any further appropriations can be considered valid.

On Wednesday, after it appeared a compromised was reached on Arkansas Works, the House voted unanimously to approve the General Appropriation Act.

Now we begin the process of approving the hundreds of other bills to balance our state budget.

Many of us had tough votes to make this week, but I believe in the end the compromise will result in a budget that takes care of our citizens.

From State Representative Deborah Ferguson