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U.S. House Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick McHenry, a North Carolina Republican, left, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speak to reporters outside the White House following a meeting on the debt limit with President Joe Biden. May 22, 2023. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

Biden and McCarthy strike positive tone after debt limit talks, but no deal yet

BY: and - May 22, 2023

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy left their closely watched meeting Monday without an agreement on government spending or the debt limit, prolonging a stalemate that could soon disrupt Americans’ everyday lives as well as the global economy.  Both struck a positive tone Monday, though neither divulged details about what remains unresolved […]

States criticized for spending federal relief funds on tax cuts, prisons

BY: - February 1, 2023

As states plan how they’ll spend the $25 billion remaining in federal COVID relief funds, some also are facing criticism and renewed scrutiny over how they allocated money already received from the American Rescue Plan Act. Of the $198 billion authorized by Congress in 2021, $173 billion already has been appropriated by states, the District […]

Motley marijuana laws drive consumers — and revenue — across state lines

BY: - January 16, 2023

SOUTH BELOIT, Ill. — Less than half a mile south of the Wisconsin border in Illinois, the Sunnyside Cannabis Dispensary bustles with activity. Cars with license plates from Wisconsin, Minnesota and other pot-banning states slide in and out of the shop’s expansive parking lot. The bright and airy retail store is an easy hop off […]

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (left) and Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Beebe) talk before Hutchinson presents his fiscal year 2024 state budget at the Nov. 10, 2022, meeting of the Legislature's Joint Budget Committee. (Photo courtesy of Gov. Asa Hutchinson)

Economists predict ‘mild recession’ as Arkansas gears up for 2023 legislative session

BY: - January 2, 2023

A mild recession and a holiday spending hangover. That’s what economic forecasters predict for 2023 as lawmakers head to the state Capitol in January.   Rising interest rates and persistent inflation will push the economy into a downturn, experts say, and those economic clouds could also cause the 94th General Assembly to consider any robust spending programs […]

Arkansas income tax rate changes explained

BY: - August 16, 2022

The Arkansas General Assembly last week convened in special session primarily to enact tax relief.  The law, which easily passed the House and Senate, was billed by proponents as relief for taxpayers in a time of high inflation. Several also referenced the $1.6 billion surplus the state ended with in fiscal 2022. Opponents argued that […]