The Arkansas State Legislature begins its 92nd General Assembly on Monday.
While lawmakers are officially in Little Rock, some have already been working by filing bills ahead of the start of the session. Legislators could begin filing bills as early as November 15 of last year. Topics range from budget bills, to bills on abortion to one on automatic voter registration.
Andrew DeMillo covers the legislature for the Associated Press. He believes one of the biggest issues for this year’s legislature will be tax cuts.
"Arkansas’ Governor Asa Hutchinson just won a very resounding re-election victory, primarily on a promise of pushing for more tax cuts," DeMillo said. "He’s already successfully pushed for a middle class tax cut and a lower income tax cut and he’s proposing another tax cut that would be focused on the top rate, but would also increase the standard deduction. It would be about a 111 million dollar tax cut plan."
DeMillo says one of the major "what ifs" concerning tax cuts will be if the legislature adopts Hutchinson’s proposed plan or uses a different tax cut plan instead. Furthermore, DeMillo also sees a push back on the cuts from Democrats over concerns on what those cuts will do to state programs or to help lower-income earning Arkansans.
According to DeMillo, the Republican agenda should be closely linked to Governor Asa Hutchinson’s.
"Really things that they can present as what they call conservative legislation in terms of managing the state financially and quote unquote streamlining government," DeMillo said.
He believes Democrats will focus largely on measures helping lower and middle income Arkansans, including the lower income tax credit. However, due to recent legislative scandals, he says both parties will be focusing on ethics.
"I think ethics, I think from both parties you’re going to see a focus on that. Democrats I think will be trying to make a big issue out of ethics given what’s happened over the past couple of years," DeMillo said.
Lawmakers will convene at noon, while Gov. Asa Hutchinson will take the oath for his second term on Tuesday.