State Policy Network
Arkansas Policy Foundation’s priorities in 2020

The Arkansas Policy Foundation will focus on fiscal policy, education reform, and licensing in 2020, which does not feature a regular session of the state legislature. The Policy Foundation will encourage citizenship by sharing its research with citizens, policymakers and news media; hosting public forums; and educating high school and college students about the American free enterprise system. In late 2020, the Policy Foundation will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a gala for donors, volunteers, and other supporters.

Fiscal policy: The top Arkansas income tax rate will be reduced to 5.9 percent on July 1, 2020 a recommendation the Policy Foundation has advanced since its founding in 1995. Policy Foundation research is focused on identifying savings and other fiscal policies to reduce the rate to 4.9 percent, close to the regional average.  Some of these policies originated with the Efficiency Project, a Policy Foundation initiative conducted with the cooperation of Governor Asa Hutchinson’s administration.

Education reform: The Arkansas school choice market includes more than 83,000 K-12 students. The Foundation will continue to educate parents, students, and policymakers about the growing market of charter, homeschool, and private school students.

Licensing: The Arkansas legislature established a task force to review licensing policies and issue recommendations prior to the 2021 session. The Policy Foundation will provide research on licensing polices to the panel, including recommendations to increase Arkansans access to medical care.

Categories: News