Opinion

On Monday of this week, the House and Senate Judiciary Committees met jointly with the Charitable, Penal, and Correctional Institutions subcommittee of the Arkansas Legislative Council. Members reviewed reports from the Department of Corrections concerning the current prison population and recidivism rates.

Little Rock – The recidivism rate for Arkansas prison inmates is 46.1 percent, a rate which the head of state prisons called unacceptable. Prison officials appeared before a joint meeting of legislators to discuss estimates of growth in the state’s inmate population.

In the 21st century, most of the systems and operations we depend on for everything from personal financial activity to the community-wide distribution of information and resources is built within and around the internet.

One hundred-fifty years before I took office, Arkansas was home to so many black bears that we were known as The Bear State, but by the early years of the last century, enthusiastic hunters had thinned the population to the point that the General Assembly outlawed bear hunting.

Little Rock – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and a coalition of 20 states today filed a lawsuit against President Biden’s face mask mandate on planes, trains, buses and in their respective hubs. The complaint challenges the mask mandate issued on February 1, 2021, which requires any person traveling by plane, train or bus to wear a mask, on the grounds that it exceeds federal authority and is otherwise arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to law.

ROGERS — The American Red Cross initiated the distribution of emergency supplies today those areas affected by the severe weather this week. Emergency supplies include items to help clean up after the tornado such as trash bags, work gloves, shovels, rakes, mold prevention and bottled water.

This should make Americans ask the fundamental question: what is the difference between what a public non-profit utility company provides and what a private for-profit oil company provides? After all they both sell energy to all United States citizens.

Whether it was due to a job loss, reduction in income or increased costs in healthcare, many homeowners fell behind in mortgage payments and utilities during the pandemic. If you or someone you know is behind on payments, we want to direct your attention to a resource that could help.

LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas tourism industry is recovering from the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on collections of the state two percent tourism tax, the industry now exceeds pre-pandemic levels of economic activity.

Honoring our veterans is an important part of reflecting on the service and the sacrifice of millions of brave men and women who have stood in defense of our nation. We demonstrate our appreciation for the courage and bravery of the Armed Forces with fitting tributes from the National Mall in the nation’s capital to communities throughout Arkansas.