Pulaski Times

Serving the people of Arkansas as Governor has been the most rewarding and humbling experience of my public life. I’d like to highlight a few of the things we’ve been able to accomplish as a state over the past eight years.

When I ran for Governor in 2014, I ran to be the Jobs Governor. One of the first calls I made on my first day in office was to Ron Cohen of Sig Sauer. A year later, they opened their first facility in Arkansas and have continued to grow. We’ve seen these success stories over and over. With an unemployment rate continually below the national average and nearly 120,000 more Arkansans employed than when I took office, Arkansas families are working in better-paying jobs.

When I was elected in 2014, Arkansas had a 7% top income tax rate. My goal was to get that rate to 5%, and we’ve surpassed that goal. But we also cut taxes for low- and middle-income Arkansans. These cuts have put over $700 million back in the pockets of Arkansas taxpayers. Even with these tax cuts, our state has never been in better financial position. We’ve had record surpluses and have created reserve accounts to ensure our state remains in the strongest financial position possible in the event of an economic downturn.

I also wanted to lead the nation in computer science education. We first required computer science to be taught in every public high school in the state. Now, it is a requirement for graduation, ensuring our students are prepared for the future. Our leadership in computer science has been recognized across the nation, and it was culminated with the most successful National Governors Association initiative ever this past year, with 50 Governors signing the compact.

We’ve also seen success with our Restore Hope Initiative. This program has given Arkansans who have paid their debt to society a second chance and strengthened our families in the Natural State.

I quickly learned state government was inefficient. In my second term, we transformed state government by reducing the number of direct reports to the Governor to nearly 1/3. This was accomplished to increase efficiency & accountability while still providing services.

When COVID-19 struck our state, we followed the facts, not the national trends. I never issued a shelter-in-place order or locked the state down. No businesses were declared essential or non-essential because every business in Arkansas is essential. We also made sure our children were back in the classroom in the fall of 2020. Arkansas ranked #2 in the nation for in-classroom instruction in 2020, ahead of Florida and Texas, and research now shows us that was the right decision.

Reflecting on the past eight years, I believe we were able to accomplish a great deal working together, across party lines, to make the lives of Arkansans better. I know our state is in a stronger position for the future than it was 8 years ago. Thank you, Arkansas.

Original source can be found here.