Area legislators give an update to the Chamber

State Senator Dave Wallace (R-Leachville), State Representative Monte Hodges (D-Blytheville) and State Representative Johnny Rye (R-Trumann) were in attendance and spoke at the Greater Blytheville Area Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon held Monday afternoon. Some of the topics discussed included the possibility of a medical marijuana dispensary being located in Blytheville, Internet sales tax and the new Arkansas Futures Act.

Hodges spoke about the many positive things that are not only happening for the state of Arkansas but also for the city of Blytheville.

“There have been several bills passed recently for the state of Arkansas…one being the medical marijuana dispensary that everyone has voted for. We’re hopeful that this will not only help those in need but it will also bring in some revenue for the city of Blytheville,” Hodges said.

Although there were several bills passed, one bill mentioned passed the senate, but not the House of Representatives.

“One bill that wasn’t passed but we’re hopeful that it will soon, was the Internet sales tax bill. What this bill will do is enable the city of Blytheville to receive sales tax [revenue] off of Internet purchases at the time of sell,” Hodges said. “Not only are we missing out on some major revenue from this bill but it’s also hurting our small businesses because they are unable to compete with the big time distributors like Wal-Mart.”

Hodges also spoke about necessary highway repair needed in Northeast Arkansas.

“I very seldom travel to Little Rock using Interstate 40 or Interstate 55…I usually travel through Jonesboro and take Highway 67,” Hodges said. “Northeast Arkansas is probably the busiest interstate system in the state of Arkansas, so we definitely need to focus on the necessary repairs needed for this area…I know that people are tired of new taxes but these issues definitely need to be addressed…we don’t want to keep ‘kicking the can down the road’ regarding this matter because the roads will only get worse.”

Rye also spoke briefly about the improvements being made regarding the state including tax reform.

“We need more of our veterans to settle in the state of Arkansas and the only way that we can achieve this is to receive some tax cuts and cut some costs...it’s only way to keep our veterans here,” Rye explained.

Finally, Wallace thanked the representatives of Blytheville for reaching out to him and providing feedback for the city of Blytheville.

“I would like to thank you guys for reaching out to me and keeping me informed about the things that are going on within the city as well as the county,” Wallace added. “I talk regularly with Judge [Randy] Carney as well as Mayor [James] Sanders and I would like to hear from a lot more of you more often.”

Wallace also discussed the new Arkansas Futures Act.

“We took an old program that wasn’t working and we shifted that money over to this new act so it’s not costing us anything…this STEM program will allow high school graduates in Arkansas to obtain a tuition free Associates Degree from any college in the state. That will allow them to apply their skill set to factories and other establishments within the state…the only requirement is that you perform 15 hours of community service per semester,” Wallace detailed. “This, in turn, will not only enable Mississippi County to promote more job opportunities and economic growth, but will also keep employees within the county…the only stipulation is that the graduates must promise to reside and work in the state of Arkansas for at least three years after the completion of their degree.”

Wallace also praised Arkansas Northeastern College as one of the best community colleges in the state.

“We’ve got the best community college in the state of Arkansas, especially when you compare the cost of attendance to other facilities within our in the state,” Wallace stated. “We want our local students as well as neighboring communities to take advantage of this opportunity.”

Adding to the previously discussed topic of the medical marijuana dispensaries, Wallace added, “53 percent of the citizens in the state of Arkansas voted for medical marijuana so we have to uphold this law regardless of how it makes us feel personally…it’s going to bring revenue to our state and it’s going to help individuals diagnosed with ailments such Parkinson’s Disease.”

rvaden@blythevillecourier.com