Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced plans to keep Daryl Bassett as the secretary of the Department of Labor and Licensing.
Bassett is the first person to hold the position, which was created under Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s reorganization of state government in 2019. He was previously the director of the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services from and the director of business and commercial services for the Arkansas Secretary of State.
Bassett has a long history with Sanders and her family. He was appointed to the Arkansas Public Service Commission by former Gov. Mike Huckabee and served as Huckabee’s chief economic development adviser.
“Arkansas workers deserve a Secretary of Labor and Licensing who always puts their interests first, which is what Secretary Bassett has done,” Sanders said in a statement. “I am pleased the Secretary has agreed to continue his stewardship of this department, promoting the protection and safety of workers, and to help me pursue bold reforms to ease burdensome regulations.”
Bassett is a former president of the Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Diversity Committee, and was a member of the Financial Research Institute for Columbia College of Business Board of Directors at the University of Missouri.
“I am honored to continue serving the men and women of Arkansas and to join the Governor-elect’s administration,” Bassett said. “Our workers are the best in the country, and I look forward to continuing to be one of their strongest advocates across the state.”
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