During an interview at SWARK.Today's office Arkansas Representative Danny Watson (R-District 3; Hempstead, Nevada counties) said that while the pressure to use at least part of the state’s record-breaking $1.6 billion budget surplus on a teacher pay raise is surging as the days tick by before the legislative special session, financial realities would make voting for that raise in that session difficult. Watson previewed the special session, set to begin the week of August 8, and spoke about what he hopes to see in potential upcoming abortion-related legislation and a potential federal emergency declaration.
Watson said he hated that apparently a line in the sand has been drawn in the public’s perception between legislators supposedly for the pay raise and those thought to be against it. “I am for the pay raise, but the money belongs to all of us,” he said, referring to the state’s budget surplus.
He pointed to the requirements the state must fulfill under the terms of the Lakeview case, in which the Arkansas Supreme Court declared in 1994 the state must distribute its funds to public schools in an equitable and adequate fashion. “It says some checks and balances have to occur,” Watson said.
Watson said he understands the urgency of calls for the pay raise from teachers who cite the effects of inflation. “With the recession, I get that. Things are tough,” he said. He said the news of the surplus likely spurred teacher groups on in making their request prior to the called special session.
On the other hand, much of the $1.6 billion surplus, which Governor Asa Hutchinson wants to use for tax cuts, is not from recurring money. “I don't know what the figures are there,” Watson said. “I'm not on [the] Budget [Committee], but the overwhelming majority of that is one-time money, federal COVID stimulus money, so we need to make sure we're careful. God knows I’m an optimistic person, but I don’t know how much longer this stuff is going to keep lasting.”
Concerning what Governor Hutchinson’s goal is for the special session, Watson said it would be to fulfil one of the governor’s long-held wishes. “The governor has been determined since he was elected to ultimately one day have the corporate tax for everyday businesses, not only big businesses, but [those in] small town Arkansas, to below five [percent].” Watson added that income tax relief would also be considered.
To those who say the tax cut would primarily benefit the rich, Watson said this reading of the effort did not take the broader effects of tax cuts into account. “This affects everybody … That's our everyday goods. That’s putting money back into the economy.”
Acknowledging, too, that some legislators would be trying to broaden the special session agenda to include legislation relating to abortion, Watson said he believed eventually more exceptions would be allowed in the determination of who is eligible to receive abortions. Watson said he would be for the inclusion of cases of rape and incest in the exceptions allowed. “I understand those two or three things are going to be ironed out. So there won't be any ifs, ands, or buts about it. It'd be perfectly clear on what is legal and what is not.” Currently, the only exception under the Arkansas law against abortion is to save the life of the mother.
Watson was glad during the interview to learn of Governor Hutchinson’s request from the United States Department of Agriculture for an emergency declaration in the wake of Arkansas’ ongoing drought and heatwave. He expressed hopes that declaration would be made and said he had confidence in the judgement of Arkansas Department of Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward in distributing any funds, should they be made available.