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LITTLE ROCK – The Senate Education Committee has begun its review of the adequacy and equity of Arkansas public school funding.

LITTLE ROCK – Thanks to legislation passed last year, Arkansas businesses will save about $31 million in taxes paid for unemployment insurance in 2024. Legislative approval of Act 196 was a priority for the state’s business community, and it passed in the Senate by a vote of 29-to-3. The act grants tax relief to businesses in a variety of ways. It lowers the unemployment insurance tax rate for new employers from 2.9 percent to 1.9 percent. The new law also repeals the rates of 14 percent and 10 percent that used to be levied on deficit rated employers. When the unemployment trust fund is above $600 million the taxable wage base is set at $7,000. The act limits increases to the taxable wage base to $2,000 a year. At the end of 2023 the balance in the fund was about $918 million. Act 196 reduces the maximum length of time for collecting benefits from 16 weeks to 12 weeks. The act also allows revenue from assessments on businesses to be used for upgrades in technology and hardware, and for training. The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services administers unemployment benefits. It also offers education and job training to unemployed people and helps them find work. Another new state law that went into effect on January 1 is Act 587, which provides that people getting unemployment shall become ineligible for benefits for any week during which they do not make at least five contacts seeking new jobs. Similarly, Act 106 disqualifies claimaints for unemployment benefits if they fail to respond to an offer of a job, or if they don’t show up for a previously scheduled job interview on at least two occasions. Act 106 took effect on January 1. Act 854 is another new law that went into effect last October penalizes claimants who fraudulently receives more than $1,000 in unemployment insurance. They shall be ineligible for unemployment benefits for 10 years. Election Laws Arkansas voters go to the polls this year and numerous new election laws will be in effect. They include Act 194 of 2023, which authorizes the state Attorney General to review ballot titles and popular names of proposed amendments and initiatives. For years the Attorney General reviewed ballot titles, but in 2019 the legislature transferred that authority to the Board of Election Commissioners. Act 194 transfers it back to the way it was before 2019. Act 766 makes it a crime to destroy signatures gathered on petitions to place an issue on the ballot. Act 300 schedules all special elections on the same day as ordinary elections. In other words, special elections will be held on the May primary or the November general election date. In years when voters elect a president, as they will in 2024, the Arkansas primary election is in March. Act 620 requires the state Board of Election Commissioners to conduct more frequent reviews of election-related documents and results. It also creates and Election Integrity Unit within the Attorney General’s office.

M INUTE

For decades, they have been a common site for weary travelers along the highways of America. The Holiday Inn has become one of the largest hotel chains in the United States. And the story of the iconic hotel has its roots in one small town in Arkansas.

Evergreen fir trees were traditionally used for Christmas trees. They had been used to celebrate Pagan winter festivals for thousands of years, long before the advent of Christianity. Plants and trees that remained green all year had a special meaning for people, especially in the winter. In many countries, it was believed that evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness.

The ability to heal is an ancient and respected art. The practice of medicine, from binding wounds to folk remedies for diseases, date back thousands of years. In the twentieth century, major advances were made that eliminated many diseases and eased the suffering of countless individuals. The expansion of medical schools allowed many more people to be able to practice medicine and to spread its availability into underserved communities. With the desegregation of universities in Arkansas, African-Americans could receive a top-rated medical education in the state. With these advances, Dr. Edith Irby Jones became the first African-American to attend the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and began a storied career as a leader in medicine.

Don’t let the fog of busyness of the season distract you from the reality of the reason. The holiday season can be overwhelming with the plans, parties and family visits. Just remember to focus on the present, respect the past and hope for the future.

In the 1870s, medicine was in a miserable state in Arkansas. Few doctors were available and the remote locations of many farmsteads and small towns made it difficult for doctors to reach patients. Worse still, there were no means to train new doctors in Arkansas. Two Little Rock medical partners, Dr. Philo Hooper and Dr. Augustus Breysacher, decided it was time for this to change. Together with a team of other respected physicians, they launched what is now one of the most respected medical schools in the South, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

* On Dec. 11, 2008, Bernie Madoff, the founder and chairman of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, was arrested and subsequently convicted of fraud for the multi-billiondollar Ponzi scheme that fleeced investors around the world for decades.

LITTLE ROCK – When the jackpot approaches a billion dollars a lot of people go out and buy lottery tickets, even though normally they hardly pay any attention to the lottery.

Thanksgiving is fast approaching. Last year, more than 54 million Americans traveled for the festivities. With Thanksgiving, in the midst of the rushing and the race to cook huge meals, people stop to give thanks for what they have. It is part of a long tradition that has spanned many generations.