Subject: Monday Morning Briefing
From: Talk Business <[email-masked]>
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Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2016 11:35:29 +0000
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GOVERNOR: 75% THRESHOLD TOO HIGH, MANAGED CARE CAN ‘SIMMER’, KURRUS DECISION WON’T BE REVERSED - Gov. Asa Hutchinson says the 75% threshold to pass appropriations bills is too high, traditional Medicaid reform will likely wait until 2017, a highway special session could include other non-controversial topics, and the decision to replace Baker Kurrus as Little Rock School District superintendent will not be reversed.

In a wide-ranging interview on Talk Business & Politics, Hutchinson discussed these topics and more in a lengthy interview with host Roby Brock. The governor said passing the funding for his Arkansas Works Medicaid expansion bill was a bipartisan effort, but one that was defining for his tenure.

“We put a lot of political capital on the line. I campaigned for this very publicly, I was across the state. I defended legislators who supported that, so I did have a lot on the line, but Arkansas had a lot on the line,” he said. “Even though I get the credit or the blame sometimes, it was really an incredible bipartisan effort – both sides contributed to the outcome and it was successful.”

Read more or watch his full interview at this link (http://talkbusiness.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=4403c46412536341322b6e88c&id=33d748da99&e=b5f4886f5f) .

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WHISTLEBLOWERS FACE RETALIATION, NEED BETTER PROTECTIONS, SUMMIT LEADERS SAY: America’s first whistleblower law was passed July 30, 1778. Michael McCray, a Pine Bluff native who worked in President Bill Clinton’s Department of Agriculture, said it didn’t protect him. McCray spoke at a Whistleblower Summit for Civil & Human Rights at the Clinton School of Public Service Friday. He said that, as a community development specialist, he found $40 million was awarded to a nonprofit organization that wasn’t capable of handling that kind of money but was located in then-U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy’s old congressional district.

McCray said he alerted his superiors, the Office of the Inspector General and others. An attorney, he said he lost his job, his fiancee and business opportunities because he called attention to the $40 million award. Have whistleblower protections improved in recent years? Read more on the subject at this link (http://talkbusiness.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=4403c46412536341322b6e88c&id=2c9b568f8b&e=b5f4886f5f) .

MEDICAL TORT REFORM BACKERS GET AG’S OK: Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has approved the popular name and ballot title for a proposed constitutional amendment that would direct the Legislature to set a cap of at least $250,000 for non-economic damages in medical lawsuits and would limit trial lawyer contingency fees at 33 1/3 percent after expenses. The amendment would alter Amendment 80, which authorizes the Supreme Court to regulate legal pleadings, practices, and procedures, by allowing the Legislature to limit contingency fees.

It does not limit compensatory or punitive damages and does not apply to workers compensation cases. After the cap is set, it may be changed with a two-thirds vote of both the House and Senate. The Supreme Court would adjust the cap every two years to account for inflation or deflation. It would take effect Jan. 1, 2017. Backers must collect 84,859 valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot. Read more here (http://talkbusiness.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=4403c46412536341322b6e88c&id=4606df63ee&e=b5f4886f5f) .

WES BROWN ON BUSINESS: TB&P business editor Wesley Brown analyzes the latest earnings reports from four Arkansas publicly-traded banks, Southwestern Energy, and J.B. Hunt. What is driving bank profits? What may turn around the natural gas industry? And, did J.B. Hunt's results forecast good news or bad news for the overall U.S. economy? Watch Brown's full interview here (http://talkbusiness.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4403c46412536341322b6e88c&id=546b3f97de&e=b5f4886f5f) .

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ARKANSAS GOP CHAIRMAN TO LEAD PRE-RNC DELEGATE DECIDING COMMITTEE: Every delegate matters at the Republican National Convention July 18-21 in Cleveland, and Doyle Webb, Republican Party of Arkansas chairman, will help decide which ones actually count. Webb has been appointed chair of the eight-member Contest Committee by Reince Priebus, Republican National Committee chairman. The committee will decide questions over which delegates and delegations can be seated in the weeks leading up to the convention. Webb served as a committee member in 2012.

The position could be critical in this year’s presidential election. Unless Donald Trump can reach the required 1,237 majority of delegates, then the convention will be contested. Trump, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich are jockeying for delegates. Webb said he didn’t know how many challenges the committee will have to decide. In 2008, three delegates were affected. In 2012, 100 were. Read more here (http://talkbusiness.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=4403c46412536341322b6e88c&id=234c6169ae&e=b5f4886f5f) .

TALK POLITICS ROUNDTABLE WITH DUSTIN McDANIEL, JANELLE LILLEY: TB&P legal analyst Dustin McDaniel and KATV's Janelle Lilley discuss the line-item veto strategy deployed by the governor and legislature to secure Arkansas Works funding. Bottom line: they agree it appears to be on solid footing. Watch their discussion in this video (http://talkbusiness.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4403c46412536341322b6e88c&id=016c2ac87c&e=b5f4886f5f) .

SENS. BOOZMAN, COTTON FILE AMENDMENT TO BLOCK CLEAN LINE FUNDING: U.S. Sens. John Boozman, R-Ark. and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., have filed an amendment to block funding to the controversial Clean Line transmission line that will run through Arkansas and was recently approved by the U.S. Department of Energy. The amendment, filed Thursday (April 21), is attached to the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill and would block funding for projects carried out under Section 1222 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The Clean Line approval is the first allowed under 1222, which is a provision that gives the Energy Secretary increased authority in approving power transmission projects.

Clean Line officials issued this statement about the amendment: “This is a clear example of political meddling targeted at one company and changes the rules in the middle of the game, after tens of millions of private dollars have been invested." Read more here (http://talkbusiness.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=4403c46412536341322b6e88c&id=9ac8ea6b1d&e=b5f4886f5f) .

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GOLDMAN SACHS JUMPS INTO BOOMING ONLINE BANKING BUSINESS: Investment banking giant Goldman Sachs announced that its U.S. banking arm has acquired the online deposit platform of GE Capital Bank, assuming nearly $16 billion of new deposits. The closing of the transaction followed regulatory approvals from the U.S. Federal Reserve Board, the New York State Department of Financial Services and the Utah Department of Financial Institutions.

The online banking business, which is one of the fastest growing sectors of the financial industry, will be part of the GS Bank, the New York State-chartered bank that is a wholly-owned, direct subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group. The deal also allows industrial conglomerate GE to move closer to its goal of exiting the credit card and banking industry.

PwC SURVEY: FINANCES CAUSE EMPLOYEES THE MOST STRESS - After several years of being upbeat about their financial well-being, U.S. workers are seeing a downward slide in the many of the key indicators of employee financial wellness, according to the 2016 survey by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (http://talkbusiness.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=4403c46412536341322b6e88c&id=613153d30b&e=b5f4886f5f) .

For instance, financial stress is up in 2016 with 52% of employees stressed about their finances. With 45% of employees saying that financial matters cause them the most stress in their lives — nearly as many as those whose top stress is their job, health, or relationships combined — financial wellness is emerging as a key factor in an employee’s overall well-being.

The 2016 edition of PwC’s Employee Financial Wellness Survey tracks the financial well-being of full-time employed U.S. adults nationwide. This year, it incorporates the views of 1,600 full-time employed adults.

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Editor's note: Here are quotes on a variety of subjects from Gov. Asa Hutchinson's wide-ranging interview on Talk Business & Politics on Sunday:

"You set the policy with a simple majority and the funding – it can be a higher bar – but three-fourths is too high as you can see from this." - Gov. Hutchinson on the 75% threshold for appropriations bills.

"… I wouldn’t envision another [special] session just to deal with a complicated issue like this. That should be in the general session next year." - Gov. Hutchinson on the likelihood that managed care and alternatives would be debated in the 2017 regular session.

"I do not believe that the Arkansas voter or taxpayer wants to have an increase in their fuel tax." - Gov. Hutchinson on his position that no tax hikes should be involved in the highway funding debate. He did say that revenue neutral tax changes might be considered.

"I can’t answer that." - Gov. Hutchinson when asked what his next step for income tax relief might be after health care reform and highway funding are settled.

"No, the switch announcement has been made. Michael Poore will be coming in as the superintendent." - Gov. Hutchinson when asked if he might reverse the decision to remove Baker Kurrus as Little Rock School District superintendent.
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