Roby Brock

As state lawmakers prepare for an April 6th special session to consider the fate of the governor’s health care reform program, Arkansas Works, two state lawmakers say there are multiple issues to address to secure the votes needed for passage.

Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, R-Little Rock, and Rep. Clarke Tucker, D-Little Rock, appeared on this week’s edition of Talk Business & Politics to explain how Republicans and Democrats may be persuaded to support the Medicaid expansion plan.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson will be joining a group of Arkansas agricultural business interests on a trade trip to Cuba later this month.

The delegation is being led by the Rogers-based World Trade Center Arkansas and is expected to include representatives from Tyson Foods, Riceland Foods and other in-state agri-related businesses. The dates of the trip are Sept. 28-30.

“Governor Hutchinson is set to visit Cuba at the end of the month to promote Arkansas agriculture. We will have more details in the coming weeks,” governor’s spokesman J.R. Davis tells Talk Business & Politics.

Members of a task force looking at health reforms in Arkansas took a detour down a philosophical road regarding contract management at the Department of Human Services in a discussion that lasted more than an hour.

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, said Wednesday that he does not think President Obama is willing to commit the resources necessary to defeat ISIS, the militant terrorist group responsible for the kidnapping and killing of Westerners, including American journalists and workers.

“I’m sure the President would like to eliminate the Islamic State (ISIS) and he’s stated his strategy is to defeat and degrade them – which is a fine strategy – but I think he lacks the commitment to put the resources behind that strategy to achieve those proper ends,” Cotton said.

Arkansas’ junior senator, Tom Cotton, likes the crowded GOP field of potential Presidential candidates and says he’s a long way from making a decision on who he will support.

Sen. Cotton, R-Ark., was a guest on this week’s edition of Talk Business & Politics with Roby Brock, which airs Monday evening at 6:06 p.m. on KUAR.

You haven’t seen much out of Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s public schedule the last two days. That’s because the new Arkansas governor has been on the West Coast for a little R & R. Not “rest and relaxation,” but for a few “rendezvous and recruitment.”

Rex Nelson has joined Pine Bluff-based Simmons First National Corp. as director of corporate communications, the financial institution announced on Monday.

“Simmons is a vital and growing company and with that growth comes an added challenge and responsibility to communicate well to our customers, associates, communities, and investors. Rex’s experiences in government, journalism, and public affairs give him a unique skill set that will create a great foundation for taking our communications to the next level,” said Simmons First chairman and CEO George Makris.