STATE & LOCAL ISSUES

Economic Development
The Little Rock Regional Chamber is the region’s leader for economic development. To that end, the chamber supports:

- Creation of a permanent economic development funding source at the local level
- Continued funding of the Governor’s Quick Action Closing Fund
- Elimination of sales tax on natural gas and electricity used in the manufacturing process
- Enhancing the Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s, Arkansas Science and Technology Authority’s, and the Arkansas Development Finance Authority’s programs, incentives, and resources
- Legislative priorities of Accelerate Arkansas to raise the state’s per capita income to the national average by 2020

Education
The economic development of the region is dependent on a strong, viable public school system. To that end, the chamber supports:

Increasing voter turnout in school board elections by moving the date of the election to the primary or general election date
An orderly transition of public education in Pulaski County following the end of the desegregation lawsuit
Education reforms enacted by Act 649 of 2003

Public Safety
The chamber supports:

Increasing County reimbursement rates for State prisoners
A new, dedicated revenue source for the Pulaski County jail
Innovative improvements to state and local prevention, intervention, and treatment efforts
Timely transfer of state prisoners in the Pulaski County jail to Department of Corrections facilities

Labor and Workplace
The chamber opposes:

Attempts to enact a Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act
Legislation that requires public or private employers to withhold union dues from employee paychecks
Any attempt to repeal, reverse, or limit the Arkansas Right to Work law Energy Coming Soon

Tort Reform
The chamber supports: