Relieve, Restore, Reimagine

LITTLE ROCK - The Democratic House Caucus held a press conference on Wednesday at the state Capitol, highlighting proposals to better spend the $600 million at stake during this special session of the Arkansas Legislature. The current Republican-backed plan prioritizes tax cuts for the already-wealthy. It fails to meet the test for a good use of our state’s taxpayer dollars and relies on faulty economics.

“This is about what actually equates to quality of life in Arkansas. It’s been said this tax plan gives every working Arkansan a break. But how much return do we actually get for what’s given?,” said House Minority Leader Tippi McCullough. “We propose to spend funds in ways that will enrich our state. We do not wait and hope, we support things that will make a true difference in a family’s life.”

The House Caucus proposal calls for rejecting the $600 million tax cut for the already-wealthy and instead prioritizes funds to invest in Arkansas and our families:

RELIEVE

A Real Earned Income Tax Credit for working families ($80M)

RESTORE

Eliminate the Disability Healthcare Wait List ($37M)

Rural Infrastructure & Economic Fund ($200M)

REIMAGINE

Free Two-Year College ($182M)

1,000 New Pre-K Classrooms ($100M)

“For the same $600 million price tag as a tax cut mainly benefiting the wealthy, we can instead bring real tax relief for those who need it, fill a major healthcare gap, restore rural Arkansas, expand pre-K, and make two-year college free,” said State Rep. Megan Godfrey. “The contrast is stark. Democrats believe Arkansas deserves better.”

“Let’s be clear, Democrats believe in tax cuts. The difference is in how and who gets them,” said State Rep. Reginald Murdock. “But this bill is insulting to working Arkansans. It’s laughable, it’s insulting to give working people not much more than 16 cents a day in tax cuts. What we want to see is something that is impactful for ALL Arkansans.”“This doesn’t look like economic development despite what the Republicans might say,” said Democratic Party of Arkansas Chair Grant Tennille. “What they’re suggesting is that we should just give the money to high wage earners in Arkansas and hope they’ll invest it. That’s not the way we do economic development. We should invest in Arkansans who want to start businesses here and support our own people.”

The Arkansas Legislature is meeting this week as part of a special session. A GOP-majority in the House advanced the tax plan on Wednesday over Democratic objections. ***See photo attached below***