Arkansas House
House members will now be taking an extended recess. When the House reconvenes on March 27, members will be addressing public safety legislation, constitutional amendments, and the budget.
March 2023
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ACB on community bank strength, stability
The community banks of Arkansas are proving their strength and stability in the face of large, techbased banks that chased risky, nontraditional banking assets like crypto and new tech startups. Arkansas’ community banks, with vastly more stable and diverse assets, remain the backbone of the financial system in Arkansas.
Strengthening the Health Care Workforce
Arkansans rely on access to physicians and health care professionals to provide life-saving and preventative care close to home. Rural states like ours face an acute need for medical providers. More than 500,000 Natural State residents live in an area defined by the federal government as lacking the adequate number of health professionals to serve the population. While we’re investing in educating and training the next generation of health care providers to help expand the delivery of health care across the state, Congress is also advancing a number of solutions to help enhance health care in rural communities and under served areas.
State Capitol Week in Review
The legislature has advanced a long list of bills to prevent voter fraud and protect the integrity of elections. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have passed HB 1510 to schedule all special elections on the same date as traditional primary elections in May and general elections in November.
Ray Lee Caskey
02-24-1940 – Former Judge Ray Lee Caskey of Alton, Oregon County, Missouri, passed away Sunday, March 12, 2023, at Ozarks Healthcare Hospital in West Plains, M, at age 83. Ray Lee Caskey was born Feb.
Joan Ruth Nelson (Roper)
09-13-1938 Joan Ruth Nelson (Roper), 84, of Viola, Ark, passed away on March 14, 2023, in her granddaughter’s home in Garland, Texas. Joan Ruth Roper was born to Joseph Clifton and Lillie Myrtle Roper in Bakersfield, Mo.
DEATH NOTICES
Ray Lee Caskey, 83, of Alton, Mo. died March 12 at Ozarks Healthcare in West Plains, Mo.
ASU System Trustees approve veterinary school plan at A-State, new nursing facility at ASU Three Rivers
Arkansas State University will proceed with creation of a College of Veterinary Medicine in Jonesboro, and ASU Three Rivers will upgrade its nursing program with an $8 million facility upgrade and expansion in Malvern.
Community Matters: Convening Leadership
In today's complex society, communities face numerous wicked problems requiring collaborative action. A wicked problem is a social or cultural problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because of its complex and interconnected nature. Examples like childhood illiteracy underscored the complexity and interconnectedness of agencies, organizations, and community organizers who work together to address such problems. However, managing a community's social issues requires collaborative action and an individual or group willing to convene the stakeholders. To convene is to come together, or as a verb means to come, cause, assemble, or convoke. A convenor then assembles stakeholders, stepping into a position of leadership.