James Sturch

James Sturch, Arkansas Senator Arkansas has begun the process of expanding Medicaid services so that more pregnant women can qualify for the government health care program.The expanded services should be available to thousands of women by the beginning of next year, if the federal government approves the proposals submitted by the state Human Services Department. About 5,000 women with high-risk pregnancies would become eligible for home visits by a nurse. The visits…

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James Sturch, Arkansas Senator When it meets in special session the legislature will consider a $50 million grant program for school safety measures. The governor proposed making grants available for schools that need financial help to implement recommendations made recently by the Arkansas School Safety Commission. Although its final report isn’t due until October 1, the commission has already released a preliminary report with a long list of recommendations. The governor reinstated…

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James Sturch, Arkansas Senator When it meets in special session the legislature will consider a $50 million grant program for school safety measures. The governor proposed making grants available for schools that need financial help to implement recommendations made recently by the Arkansas School Safety Commission. Although its final report isn’t due until October 1, the commission has already released a preliminary report with a long list of recommendations. The governor reinstated…

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James Sturch, Arkansas Senator Well-attended meetings at the state Capitol usually indicate that legislators are addressing an important issue. That was certainly the case when the joint Senate and House Committees on City, County and Local Affairs met to explore methods of funding of much-needed improvements to water and sewer systems across Arkansas. A room full of local officials, managers of water and engineers asked legislators to open a process that would…

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James Sturch, Arkansas Senator The governor announced that he would call the legislature into special session on August 8 to consider income tax cuts that would save Arkansas families and businesses almost $700 million when they take effect. The legislature enacted many of the measures last December during a previous special session. The tax reductions were to be phased in over several years. Due the enormous size of the state’s budget surplus,…

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