Arkansas News

Economic Survey Index: Growth Slows in Midwest, Plains States

A monthly economic survey index for nine Midwest and Plains states dipped for the second consecutive month in April, but the survey’s organizer said the index indicates slow growth for the region in the coming three to six months. The …

Arkansas, Oklahoma: No Plans to Move State Workers to Health Exchanges

As lawmakers in the state of Washington consider moving some part-time government workers out of a state-sponsored health plan and into an insurance exchange developed under the nation’s new health care overhaul law, officials in Oklahoma and Arkansas say there …

Arkansas Joining Interstate Insurance Regulation Compact

Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe has signed SB1170, enacting the Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Compact (Compact). The bill was introduced by Sen. Jason Rapert, chair of the Arkansas Senate Insurance and Commerce Committee, and co-sponsored by Rep. Mark Biviano. Arkansas becomes …

Arkansas House Passes ‘Private-Option’ Medicaid Funds

The Arkansas House on Tuesday approved a plan to use federal Medicaid funds to buy private insurance for low-income residents, with many Republicans saying the approach is the best way to maintain some control over provisions of a new federal …

Federal Lawsuit Filed Over Arkansas Oil Spill

Two women who live near an ExxonMobil pipeline that ruptured and spilled thousands of barrels of oil in central Arkansas filed a federal lawsuit against the company on April 5. The class-action complaint from Kimla Greene and Kathryn Jane Roachell …

Arkansas Governor: U.S. Government Will Help With Private Insurance

Federal officials have offered “conceptual support” for Arkansas’ plan to use Medicaid dollars to buy private health insurance for low-income residents, Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe announced as he urged the Republican-led Legislature to move forward with the proposal. In a …

Feds Send Corrective Order to Exxon After Arkansas Oil Leak

Federal pipeline safety officials have issued a corrective action order to ExxonMobil Pipeline Co. after one of its pipelines ruptured last week in central Arkansas. The order from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration comes after ExxonMobil’s Pegasus pipeline …

Survey Shows Growth in Midwest Economy

A monthly economic survey index for nine Midwest and Plains states jumped last month, suggesting improving economic growth for the region over the next three to six months. The Mid-America Business Conditions index hit 58.2 in March, compared with 53.1 …

More than 500 to Guide Arkansas Residents on Health Insurance Options

Come summer, at least 535 trained guides will start fanning out across Arkansas, knocking on doors, setting up folding chairs in community centers and handing out brochures to spread the word across Arkansas about the state’s health-insurance exchange, which will …

Arkansas House Panel Considers Small Business Tax Credit Bill

Arkansas lawmakers are considering a proposal to create a new tax credit to spur private investment of small businesses. A bipartisan proposal that would allow the Arkansas Economic Commission to issue tax credits in order to promote private investment in …