Governor Hutchinson

New COVID-19 cases in Arkansas continue to climb and officials say the rapdily spreading delta variant and people not being vaccinated is the key reason why. The Department of Health reported 479 new cases Tuesday, along with eight additional deaths from COVID-19. 

At his weekly press briefing Tuesday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson urged Arkansans to take safety measures when participating in 4th of July activities to stop the spread of the virus.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he is preparing to send the Biden Administration a waiver application for Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me or ARHOME. Arkansas Works, the current Medicaid expansion program, expires at the end of this year. If approved, ARHOME would be the latest Medicaid expansion.

The program would provide coverage for low-income families who make below 138% of the federal poverty level. The federal government would cover 90% of the costs, and the state would pay the remaining 10%.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson touted his proposal to cut the state’s top individual income tax rate for new residents, called for reducing the used car tax, and said his new budget includes a $240 million surplus during a speech at the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas’ Annual Meeting Tuesday.

Hutchinson said his budget calls for reducing the top individual income tax rate for new residents to 4.9% for five years. Doing so would attract tech and manufacturing talent and also retirees.

Monday marks the beginning of the 2020 Republican National Convention, with the first night’s agenda including the state roll call to nominate President Donald Trump for re-election. 

This year’s convention, similar to the Democratic National Convention, will be mostly digital due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who spoke during the 2016 RNC, said Monday on NPR’s Morning Edition that his statements about then-candidate Trump being "transparent and straight-talking" remain true.  

Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson has announced his plan to reorganize state government and reduce the number of cabinet-level agencies reporting directly to him by at least 50 percent.

The governor announced his plan following the conclusion of the fiscal session of the Arkansas Legislature Thursday, saying his administration has worked to maximize government efficiency since he first took office.

Following two years of interviews for the job, Governor Asa Hutchinson appointed Stan Jones to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Tuesday. Jones, a fifth-generation farmer and hunting lodge owner from Walnut Ridge, applauded previous efforts by the commission to promote the outdoors in Arkansas.

“I know we’ve got some difficult situations and issues that we’re going to have to face, but I’ve got a very positive look and attitude on everything, the Game & Fish [Commission] has done a good job, and I’m happy to be a part of it,” Jones said.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says he believes Congress will ultimately agree on a replacement for the federal health overhaul despite House Republicans failing to dismantle the law.

The Republican governor said Friday he has no doubt Congress will revisit the issue, but said he'll move forward with a plan for new limits on the hybrid Medicaid expansion Arkansas enacted under the law.

A poll released on Tuesday by Talk Business and Politics and Hendrix College looks at Governor Asa Hutchinson’s approval rating and the 2016 U.S. Senate race in Arkansas.

According to the poll, Gov. Hutchinson has maintained a strong approval rating though it has fallen slightly below numbers from when he took office. Talk Business and Politics’ Roby Brock says that the Republican governor’s approval ratings have dropped from an initial high in part because of things he has fought for in the legislature.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) has signed a “letter of intent on investment cooperation” with Chinese-based Shandong Sun Paper Industry Joint Stock Co. to pursue a $1.3 billion pulp mill to be located in south Arkansas.

In attendance at the signing ceremony were U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, Gov. Hutchinson, Chairman and Founder of Sun Paper Co. Hongxin Li, Arkansas Economic Development Director Mike Preston, and U.S. Consulate General Charles Bennett.