Revenue & Tax - Senate

Overall child well being one in five children in arkansas lives in poverty more than half of arkansas three and four year olds aren't enrolled in early childhood education we continue to see new stories about troubles in our foster care system trouble with keeping enough employees on the job to keep our children safe. We don't actually know what the learns act will cost our state in the coming years and during the legislative session that ended earlier this year there are many bills that you're would not even consider because of concerns about costs there were proposals that could have helped improve access and quality in the quality of our early childhood education in arkansas. And we know that that's really critical to our state's work force in every district and the state there were bills that could have helped address the rising cost of dipers and formula we could have extended the time that new moms have medicaid coverage to address our states alarming maternal mortality rates the highest in the nation which you probably now just if those are just a few of the investments that were rejected in the recent session and and more that we know just a few of the ones that we know we need to make in coming years including expanding a access to early childhood education rathering access to substance abuse services expanding community based programs for young people like you just heard from the rural community alliance and meeting the needs at for hugely increasing needs for mental health services the state budget is a reflection of all of our values if we want our communities to drive we need you to invest in our communities to do that we need a well funded state budget before you look to pass another tax cut I ask you to take a hard luck at our states needs and determine if we can truly say that we are meeting and addressing all those needs by adding a another two hundred plus million to that one point six billion that we've cut over the last decade thank you for your time. Thank you miss gill. I see no question so we appreciate you be in here thank you ma'am. Okay the next person I have on the list is I think it's been kept I hope i'm pronouncing that right. Where I will give you the opportunity to say it correctly so is if you won't just your site and push your button and then recognize yourself and then you're welcome to begin yesterday thank you my name is bill copsky I would go i'm probably the one with bad hand writings i'm the director of the arkansas public policy panel and their citizens first congress and we do ask you to vote against this legislation although I realize that we've all been here before and how this is likely to go arkansas already has one of the most unfair tax burdens in the country with middle and low and come families paying nearly twice overall tax burden as are wealthiest this bill makes that disparity worse by lavishing the vast majority of the benefits on upper income are kansas while offering a mere pittance the middle and low income families tax relief in arkansas should be focused on low and middle income families and not the wealthy who need at least it would make are concerned much more competitive if you look at our overall tax burden nationally compared to other states further one of the greatest challenges facing are concerned is that we rank near last on most quality of life measures from education to poverty the life expectancy this bill makes no investments in anything we need to rise above that national for and it squanders an opportunity to invest in what would improve conditions for all of our communities things like pre k after school in summer rural and small business development health care all of those left on the floor in the name of tax cuts for the wealthy. This is there is simply no data to suggest the triple down economics like this bill will advance arkansas but we do know that it leaves us without the resource is to invest what would truly rise all boats rays all boats in the state of arkansas and with that thank you for considering my testimony thank you mister cosby any questions I don't see any we appreciate you being here with us today sir thank you care the next one I have on the list is a christian ad **** speaking against the bill. Same as others mister ed **** whenever you sit out of your push the push the button recognize yourself and then you're welcome to begin. Hi i'm christian adcarc i'm with disability rights arkansas disability rates are concerned is an organization that provides our case and legal services for people disabilities in the state at no cost we're concerned about not just this tax cut but the previous tax cuts and the movement to eliminate the income tax entirely primarily because the one thing that we hear over and over again from our clients is that they're just enough resources out there for them to be able to successfully live in a community and it's not just things like direct care of services mental health crisis diversion centers that sort of thing it's the things you don't think about it's things like public transit reliable you know job programs things for that nature and so we think that it's a bad step. To be moving towards cutting taxes more especially when as has already been mentioned we don't have for the full price of the learns act and several other big ticket legislation pieces of legislation that were passed last session. And so it's our opinion that we need to slow down and take more responsible steps and ensure that people with the stabilities and our communities have the services and supports that they need before I move on and continue down the road we're going and happily take any questions. Any questions. I don't see any like thank you mister edcard okay I have a debit goals be the only thing you are warning to speak against this particular bill correct I did have which will assume it is it is against this bill you're wanting to speak yes ma'am okay. We appreciate you be in here and again if you'll push that button so the red comes on introduced yourself and you can begin. Okay i'm debingual speed thank you for allowing me to speak. I am somebody that is in a income bracket that I would benefit from this bill and I could put more money in my pocket. But I don't need that and i'm more concerned about the fellow our cansons in everything that all the previous speakers have spoken about the children. You know there's there's the middle east ill there's health issues I don't need that money in my pocket I would rather see arkansas per more safe kinder gentler place where all our kansas can thrive and this is a chance to help them I don't need the help. Thank you any questions okay thank you miss goodbye. All right that's everybody that I had saying senator dismay do you want to close for your bill. I think this chairman community merchant i'll be brief but I do think it's important to kind of talk about what where we've come from to where we are we have cut taxes across the board and that's in all income levels here in the state this tax good itself benefits all our cansands that make above twenty four thousand dollars a year and I know that we have some freshman on this I mean then there was a reference to about one point six billion dollars for the income taxes that have been cut so far I would tell you that I strongly advocated and was successful doing so along with my colleagues and ensuring that we lowered the income taxes for the middle class in arkansas working families and the low only come earners here in this date so again just a little bit a history in perspective I think is important we want to continue what we're able to do as far as an inbound state that means we're creating a rebraining job graduates here that's able to end to a reward our citizens with a great paying jargon and this is just a component the helpless continue achieving that with that appreciate a good boat do do you have do you have motion as amended motion do passes and thank you senators may I have motion uh most people seconds all in those in favor say in the oppose here in nine that is passed at this point I have a bill to present cinder petty is not here I think senator dismanger the most seen senior members all ask you to take the cheer. The. Truman hicking your recognize admit presents in a bill one okay members i'm jimmy hiki arkansas state senate what this bill is of course is very simple we have about seven hundred in seven hundred and ten dollars seven hundred ten million six hundred and twelve thousand five hundred and eight dollars has left over from our last physical year surplus what this bill will do is it will take it out of our general reserve a lot mention and it will transferred into a restricted reserve account which will require two thirds vote of the arkansas legislative council to remove it. The purpose for this is to create like an insurance policy for senator disbank's bill and others to make sure that in the event that we have a river session or other large declines in the economy that we would have money that would be available to pay for state services one thing to note that everybody needs to know we are not paying for the tax curts or the credit of senator disc man's bill out of these dollars we are using our current excess revenues to do that and again these are just going to sit in this account to as more of an insurance policy for us doing the tax cuts alright thank you miss chairman we have any questions. Seeing man where we want to be sent. Okay would he would like to speak for against the bill from the audience alright seeing none would like close but i'm closed close. The i'd ask for a motion to pay us most of the past we've got a second. In discussion on the motion seeing none I was in favor of significant saying I others oppose motion carriers thanks for a graduate center. Okay any other members have any anything else to come before the body then with that were adjourned.