March 12th, 2019
LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson signed the largest and most comprehensive highway-funding plan in Arkansas’s history today, which fulfills his goal of implementing a long-range strategy to bring the state’s roads and bridges up to date and to pay for their upkeep into the future.
This bill will provide $95 million annually through user fees and dedicated funds from casino revenue.
Governor Hutchinson also praised legislators for passing his plan to allow voters to vote on an amendment that will extend a 1/2-cent sales tax indefinitely. That amendment, which will be on the ballot in 2020, will produce $205 million a year to pay for the state’s highway infrastructure.
The bill and the 1/2-sales tax would bring in a combined $300 million a year.
“This is a great day for Arkansas,” Governor Hutchinson said. “A lot of people worked hard to make this happen, from the experts who crunched the numbers and crafted the bills to the legislators who took the bills to a successful vote with solid bipartisan support.
“Our roads are vital to so many areas of everyday life. We need good streets to get to work, school, stores, and doctor appointments. Our farmers need good roads to deliver their crops to the market. We need great highways if we are going to compete for the industry and business that are crucial to continuing to improve our quality of life. We have done this for ourselves and for our future.”
Story/Photo: Officer of Governor Asa Hutchinson
