Governor Asa Hutchinson's Weekly Address

About Governor Asa Hutchinson's Weekly Address

Each week, Governor Hutchinson addresses Arkansans on the current affairs of our state.

Publisher

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson

Category

government

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

7 Jan 2022

Latest episode

30 Dec 2022

Latest episodes

51 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Dec 2022

   W.I.N.S. in 2022

   As 2022 comes to an end, I have been reflecting on my time as Governor and looking forward to what is ahead. In January, I announced my W.I.N.S. initiative for my final year as Governor. Each letter in W.I.N.S. stands for a pillar that I have focused on to boost Arkansas to success. Workforce Training, Infrastructure, New Economy Jobs, and Strengthening Arkansas Families all aim to push Arkansas to being the best place the state can be – and help Arkansas WIN. Arkansas has continually grown economically over the past eight years. Thanks to the people of Arkansas, we have made this state one of the premier locations for business owners to put their roots down and conduct business that gives well-paying jobs to hard-working Arkansans and puts more money into our state. As this year and my term is coming to an end, Arkansas has never been in better financial shape than we are right now. We have lowered taxes, funded services, and we have over $2 billion in reserve accounts. Even in the face of a pandemic, the state’s economy, like Arkansans themselves, remained resilient. In 2021, Arkansas was ranked number two in the nation for states with the most pandemic-proof small businesses. That speaks not only to the hard work of business owners who have chosen to live in Arkansas, but to the small business environment, workforce support, and resource access our state’s infrastructure had in place, ready to help small businesses. Arkansas small businesses were rightfully ranked as having the greatest potential to bounce back because they had the least to bounce back from. Arkansas never shut down throughout the pandemic. Our state kept working, and our consistently low unemployment rate over the past few years reflects that. In fact, there are over 120,000 more people employed now than when I took office in January 2015. The future success of our state demands that we improve the training of our workforce. Now with initiatives like the ‘Ready for Life’ program, it is easier for employees and employers to find each other, and it will offer business leaders a quick snapshot of the employee pool in Arkansas as they recruit talent. Our infrastructure is the backbone of everyday operations in this state, and it is worth investing in to create a better quality of living. That is why we have invested almost $500 million in rural broadband expansion in our state. In terms of new economy jobs, we expanded our high-tech jobs from the steel industry to software development, and this growth will continue with the recommendations from the Council on Future Mobility Report. Lastly, but certainly not least of the pillars of my W.I.N.S. initiative – strengthening Arkansas families. Over the past year, my focus has been to give families the best chance of success and to protect Arkansas children from child abuse and crime. In November, I announced a monumental expansion in rural health services with the ARHOME Medicaid program. Thanks to the great work of the teams at the Arkansas Department of Human Services, Life360 HOMEs will address the complex challenges facing many of Arkansas’s most vulnerable residents, including individuals in rural areas with serious mental illness and those in need of addiction services. I look forward to watching the full potential of this transformative program as it unfolds in the months and years to come. As we conclude 2022, I am grateful for the W.I.N.S. we have had this year in improving our workforce, investing in our infrastructure, creating new economy jobs, and strengthening Arkansas families.

2. 

   21 Dec 2022

   Joys of the Holidays

   On behalf of the state of Arkansas, I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a blessed holiday season. Christmas is my favorite time of year in the Natural State, especially in the halls of the Arkansas State Capitol. During the month of December, student choirs travel from all over the state to sing in the rotunda in the center of the Capitol. Their songs echo to the ceiling and can be heard in all corners of the building. The beauty of their voices reminds me of the verse in Scripture about the angel and the multitude of heavenly hosts filling the sky and praising God at the birth of Jesus. That’s what this season is all about. Despite the shopping, the crowds, and the stress, it is all about the birth in Bethlehem that changed the world. This Christmas is a particularly special one as it marks the end of my final year as Governor. This year I am grateful for the gift of life, my family, and the privilege of a lifetime that has been serving the great state of Arkansas as Governor. Some of the Christmas traditions I have been able to be a part of these past eight years have been especially memorable this year. Last weekend, at the beginning of the Hanukkah season, I had the privilege of lighting (https://twitter.com/AsaHutchinson/status/1604875000393371650?s=20&t=3o8JKWFSlvVZ_fsZ1hWjQg) the first candle of the Little Rock Chabad Menorah. In 2015, I was the first Arkansas Governor to light the Menorah publicly. It was a humbling experience then, and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to join the Central Arkansas Jewish community in celebrating the eight days of Hanukkah each year since then. A couple weeks ago, I once again got to host the “Christmas at the Capitol” (https://twitter.com/AsaHutchinson/status/1599889238329131008?s=20&t=3o8JKWFSlvVZ_fsZ1hWjQg) event where we collected gifts for children in the foster care system in Arkansas. Those who donated gifts made a small gesture that will make more of an impact than they will ever know. After all, giving is a core part of what Christmas is all about. Arkansans are some of the kindest, most giving people I have ever been around. That is especially evident during the holiday season. One of the best parts of being Governor is getting to meet Arkansans from every corner of the state and from all walks of life. The holiday season often brings out the best in people. I encourage you to extend goodwill toward our fellow man and find a way to serve someone who is less fortunate. Consider giving not only monetary gifts but giving your time. In the words of Mother Teresa, “It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” I encourage everyone to find a way to celebrate this spirit of giving not only this week but throughout the year. Tell your family, friends, and coworkers how much you appreciate them. Be kind to others – you never know what type of day they are having. You could be a light in their dark season. I hope each of you are able to reflect on your blessings, remember the reason for this season, and find joy in being able to call Arkansas home.

3. 

   16 Dec 2022

   Ending the COVID Vaccine Mandate for Military

   A few weeks ago, I joined 20 of my fellow governors in a letter to Congressional leaders asking them to repeal the Biden administration’s COVID vaccine mandate for our military, and today I’d like to provide an update on our request. In August of last year, President Biden directed United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to impose a COVID vaccine mandate on the men and women of our armed forces. Since that time, the National Guard has missed its recruiting target by 10 percent, and 7,500 members have left the service. The United States Army also missed its recruiting target by 25 percent, falling short of their target by 15,000 recruits. As of November of this year, over 8,000 active members of the military have been discharged since the implementation of the mandate. It’s clear that this overbearing requirement has put our nation’s military readiness at risk and created a national security concern. In Arkansas, we took a different approach. I never imposed a mandate for vaccines because I trust people to make the best decision for their health and the health of their family. Instead of mandates, I chose to educate. I went to 15 cities around the state to hold town hall meetings to answer questions from Arkansans. I held these events with my public health advisors and local health care providers to ensure that specific medical questions about the vaccine could be answered. And yes, I encouraged people to understand the COVID vaccine and to take the vaccine. Throughout the course of my conversations, I was reminded of how damaging a vaccine mandate could be. Unfortunately, we’ve seen our concerns become a reality because of the COVID vaccine mandate in our armed forces. While the damage has been done from the President’s decision, I want to applaud the members of Congress who recently passed the National Defense Authorization Act, the annual funding legislation for our military. This bill not only funds our military, it also revokes the COVID vaccine mandate. The House passed the defense authorization bill with a bipartisan vote by a margin of 350-80, and the Senate approved the bill 83-11. The vote on this bill and provision will ensure we have a military that is ready to face our adversaries whenever that time may come. I urge the President to sign the defense authorization bill and to end the particular COVID vaccine mandate. We owe the men and women of our military a great debt for their service, and they do not need to be saddled with unnecessary mandates that only harm their readiness.

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