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Kim Hammer

Education / Legal

Unnoticed Law Makes School Board Matters Less Open

Critics say the law was "snuck in" at the end of the legislative session and will be devastating to transparency for parents. read more >
Elizabeth Bowles, CEO of Aristotle Unified Communications, is one small-business leader who has expressed concern about new grant funding requirements that could hamper broadband internet expansion across the state
Government & Politics

Letter-of-Credit Rule Draws Criticism in Broadband Effort

Aristotle chief says hurdle is costly and likely to keep small firms out of program. read more >
Government & Politics / Media & Marketing

When Low Bids & High Scores Lose (Lance Turner Editor’s Note)

The lowest scoring but most expensive company bidding to devise a statewide broadband deployment strategy was selected in a process one competitor thinks was tailor-made for the politically connected vendor. read more >
Government & Politics / Health Care / Legal

Arkansas Lawmakers Approve Opt-Out for COVID Vaccine Mandates

Gov. Asa Hutchinson opposes the bill but has not said whether he'll veto it. read more >
COVID-19 vaccination cards issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
Government & Politics / Health Care / Legal

Arkansas Senate Advances Bill Requiring Vaccine Exemption Process for Workers

The proposal is in response to President Biden's workplace mandate. read more >
Rep. Kim Hammer, R-Benton

Arkansas Lawmakers Consider Cutting Early Voting by 1 Day

A proposal to cut early voting by one day in Arkansas is advancing in the state legislature as lawmakers near the end of this year's session. read more >
Rep. Kim Hammer, R-Benton
Health Care

Arkansas Senate OKs Health Care Religious Objections Bill

The Arkansas Senate approves a measure allowing medical providers to refuse to treat someone because of their religious or moral beliefs, a move critics say will allow them to turn LGBTQ patients away. read more >
Education / Government & Politics / Investments

Arkansas Pension Funds Seek Lawyers For Lawsuits

Two of Arkansas’ largest retirement funds are looking for law firms to represent them in securities class-action lawsuits, which could mean huge paydays for the firms but not for the funds. read more >
Business Services / Construction / Education

Sunlight, The Best Disinfectant (Editorial)

Sunshine Week, the annual celebration of the public’s access to public information, is March 10-16 this year, so the timing of a bill by state Sen. Kim Hammer, R-Benton, is fitting. read more >
Rep. Kim Hammer, R-Benton
Transportation

Arkansas Senate Approves Funding Plan for State’s Highways

The Arkansas Senate approves a proposal to raise fuel taxes and tap into expected casino revenue for state highways, advancing the first part of a plan by the governor to fund state roads. read more >
Jimmy Hickey Jr.
Business Services / Construction / Government & Politics

Plan to Change Procurement Rejected in House Committee

An Arkansas panel defeated an effort to revise the state procurement proces, siding with engineers, architects and attorneys who testified that a bill to emphasize price in awarding state contracts was flawed and unnecessary read more >
Rep. Kim Hammer, R-Benton
Construction / Government & Politics / Insurance

Bill Seeks to Change Procurement Process; Businesses Want to Understand It

Procurement laws are complicated, state Sen. Jimmy Hickey says, and he should know: He has helped rewrite them more than once. read more >
Agriculture & Poultry / Business Services / Construction

Disputed Contracts Place Procurement in Spotlight

Disputes over recent state contracts have put Republican lawmakers at odds with the Republican governor, angered potential vendors and muddied understanding on what businesses can expect from the process of awarding state work. read more >
Kim Hammer
Government & Politics / Legal

Arkansas House Supports Ten Commandments Display Bill

Arkansas House members have advanced to Gov. Asa Hutchinson a bill to allow a Ten Commandments monument to be built at the state Capitol. read more >
Government & Politics

Under Proposed Bill, Arkansas Write-In Candidates Face 90-Day Deadline

Write-in candidates would be required to meet a 90-day deadline to notify state and local election officials that they are running, under a bill approved Wednesday by an Arkansas House committee. read more >
Jeremy Gillam
Government & Politics

Arkansas House Votes Jeremy Gillam as Speaker-Designate

Arkansas House members have elected Republican Jeremy Gillam of Judsonia as the legislative chamber's next leader. read more >
Government & Politics

Some Hopefuls for Arkansas House Speaker Want Race Delayed

Some candidates running for Arkansas' House speaker position said they'd like to see the race pushed back until they know who has won the chamber's majority in the November election. read more >
Blake Rutherford
Government & Politics

The Fiscal Session, and Everything After (Blake Rutherford On Politics)

With the 2014 fiscal session of the Arkansas General Assembly in rear view, I examine four lessons we gleaned from it, and what that means in the year ahead. read more >
Arkansas Lt. Gov. Mark Darr
Government & Politics

Legislative Audit of Mark Darr’s Office Underway

State auditors have begun work on their annual review of Lt. Gov. Mark Darr's office, days after the Arkansas Ethics Commission said it was investigating his campaign spending. read more >
Education / Government & Politics

Arkansas House Panel Rejects School Choice Bill

An Arkansas House committee on Thursday rejected a proposed rewrite of the state's school choice law, as lawmakers debated whether to delay changing the law until a federal appeals court rules on its constitutionality. read more >