Opinion

The legislature completed the 2019 regular session after finalizing a balanced budget of about $5.75 billion in general revenue for next fiscal year. That is about $124 million more than will be spent during the current year. The state general revenue fund is mostly generated by sales taxes, individual income taxes and corporate income taxes...

More than 900 bills have been signed into law this session. This General Assembly has reduced taxes, addressed infrastructure needs, increased funding to education, and transformed state government. One of the last bills we passed was the amendment to the Revenue Stabilization Act...

The House is now in the final weeks of the 2019 Regular Session. In recent days, the House has passed legislation increasing education funding, legislation increasing sales tax exemptions on used cars, and legislation creating a first of its kind response team to child abductions...

The Senate has already approved several large tax cuts this session, and another one is on its agenda. Senate Bill 576 will make far-reaching changes in the state corporate income tax code, to the extent that the Department of Finance and Administration will have to update its computers from now until 2024 in order to process them...

Every family in Missouri faces the same challenge. We all have to figure out where the money goes. We sit at our kitchen tables and go over our income and expenses and try to match them up. The state of Missouri is no different. I sit on the Senate Appropriations Committee, so many of my days in Jefferson City are spent pouring over the state’s budget. ...

This week was “Sunshine Week,” where hundreds of organizations, civic groups, and schools around the country held events to educate the public and advocate for transparency in government. If we truly are to have a government “of, by, and for the people,” we must be open and honest about how the people’s business is being conducted. ...

“People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” ~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross I was blessed with two incredible, beautiful older sisters. ...

This week, the House passed legislation which will change the way our communities respond to emergencies, the way we regulate our businesses, and the way our government is structured. One of the many bills passed on the House floor in the 9th week of the session was The Arkansas Public Safety Act (HB1564)...

The Senate passed legislation to increase the homestead property tax credit, which will save more than 716,000 Arkansas homeowners about $12.5 million a year. Senate Bill 447 also allocates $8.2 million for Arkansas counties to upgrade their voting machines...

The legislature has approved and the governor has signed a package of bills sponsored by female lawmakers. The coalition of legislators dubbed their package “Dream BIG for Arkansas.” Act 198 expands access to the Internet by allowing towns, cities and local government entities to acquire, lease or build facilities to deliver broadband services...

“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” I remember in the late 70’s when “dress for success” and “you can have it all” were the catch phrases of the day. The media screamed at us that we should be able to have a career, 2.5 children, a perfectly clean house, a happy husband and be able to keep all of it in perfect order all the time. In trying to live up to those expectations, many of us became like machines. We tried to do it all and wondered why nothing seemed to be working right...

In Arkansas, there are two ways to put a constitutional amendment on an election ballot. First, an individual or group can draft a ballot measure and then collect the needed number of signatures. The second way amendments are put forth is by the General Assembly.  Article 19 of the Arkansas Constitution allows the General Assembly to refer up to three amendments for the next general election...

The legislature advanced a major highway program and tougher new ethics laws. Senate Bill 336 is part of the governor’s proposal to raise funding for highway construction and maintenance. The Senate approved the measure and sent it to the House of Representatives, where it received a favorable vote in committee...

To quote Mark Twain, “hang around and the weather will change …” That has definitely been the case here in Cherokee Village as we transition from winter to spring and then back to winter. Hopefully, we can look forward to March 21 and the first day of spring and as a reminder we switch to daylight savings time on March 10...

Clinical trials and Medicare Toni: I will turn 65 in May and am currently covered by my wife’s employer group health insurance. Currently, I am fighting stage three cancer of the kidney and the prognosis is good because I am participating in a clinical trial for a new cancer medication which costs over $18,000 per month. With this clinical trial, I am paying $0 for a medication which is curing my cancer...

Close to 200 bills have been signed into law as we close the 6thweek of the 2019 Regular Session. One of the bills signed by the Governor this week was SB152, An Act Restoring Arkansas Families. It is now Act 189. This legislation reforms the juvenile justice system by requiring judges to use a validated risk assessment. Judges will be provided with information about the juvenile’s home life, mental health needs, and school needs...

The legislature approved and the governor signed two of the high-profile bills of this year’s session. One bill lowers state income taxes by $97 million a year for 579,000 Arkansas taxpayers who earn more than $38,200 a year. It is Act 182. The other bill raises teacher minimum salaries by about $1,000 a year, over the next four years. It will directly benefit teachers in 168 school districts. It is Act 170...

Dear Editor, I visited a friend and his family in September 1997. He had a house on Lake Thunderbird where I swam from his dock, enjoyed the rural [setting] of the Village, the wildlife, and most particularly the golf courses. I picked up some real estate brochures and was amazed at the very reasonable real estate prices for what I perceived was this “little piece of heaven.” I ended up moving here in January 1998 having purchased a home in Cherokee Village. ...

More than 140 bills have been signed into law during this session. There are hundreds of bills still to be heard in committee and we expect many more to be filed in the weeks ahead. As we head into our sixth week of the session, we’d like to update you on the legislature’s progress...

The governor, legislators and private business groups joined to propose a highway program that would add $300 million a year in revenue for the state Transportation Department. The plan also would add $110 million a year for cities and counties to maintain local roads...

Can COBRA cause a Medicare Part B penalty? Dear Toni: I lost my job July 2017. My wife and I have enrolled in Medicare Part B in January 2019 since COBRA’s almost over…Now I am finding out that there will be a penalty for us not enrolling when we should have. I have never received a Medicare & You handbook to know how or when to enroll in Medicare properly. I was unaware of an eight-month Medicare Part B enrollment rule. Thought I had to wait until our COBRA ended to enroll in Medicare Part B...

Enrolling in Medicare at 65 is stressful! Hi Toni! I will turn 65 on Feb. 14 and want to retire in three to six months. I have several questions after studying your Medicare Survival Guide Advanced edition and Medicare.gov. Just trying to avoid any mistakes!...

The legislature advanced a series of tax cuts, including the signature bill of this year’s session, to lower personal income taxes by about $97 million a year. The Senate passed SB 211 to reduce income taxes for individuals in the middle and upper brackets of the tax tables...

Morning Toni: I am concerned about the difference in premiums between many of the Medicare Supplement plans and companies and it seems that Plan F is considerably higher in monthly premium than Plan G. My husband, Joe enrolled in Plan F a few years ago and I’m concerned that his Medicare Supplement Plan F premium is going to skyrocket and force him to leave. because Plan F is leaving in 2020. Is there anything he can do to protect himself?...

House members are now preparing for the fourth week of the 2019 Regular Session. We are expecting to review and possibly vote on big issues such as tax cuts and teacher salaries. The Governor’s tax cut proposal has now been filed. This bill will start in the Senate. SB211 would cut the state’s top individual income tax rate from 6.9 to 5.9 percent. The reduction would be phased-in over a two year period...

The governor and legislators presented the details of the signature issue of this year’s session, a reduction in personal income taxes. The proposal would lower the top marginal rate from 6.9 percent to 6.6 percent the first year, which would be calendar year 2020. Then the rate would drop to 5.9 percent, beginning in 2021...

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” ~ Thornton Wilde I have a plaque on my wall that reads “Each new day brings with it many gifts. Untie the ribbons.” It is a constant reminder that the gifts of today are to be my focus, not yesterday’s memories, not my hopes for tomorrow, but the simple gift of today...

Recently, Governor Mike Parson delivered his State of the State Address in a joint session of the General Assembly. These addresses are important for two reasons: one, it is our Constitutional duty, and two, it outlines a projected path that the chief executive would have Missouri go...

This week the U.S. House of Representatives under Speaker Pelosi’s leadership reached a new low. The obstruction to President Trump has threatened the livelihoods of the men and women who protect us, left our border insecure, and now resulted in the postponement of a right given to our President in the U.S. Constitution – the State of the Union address...

Two weeks ago, the governor came before a joint session of the House and Senate to lay out his legislative and budget priorities for the coming year. I’ve had time to look over some of the governor’s ideas and would like to share my thoughts on a couple of them...

The House has now wrapped up the second week of the Regular Session. More than 250 bills have been filed in the House so far. And more than 150 have been filed in the Senate. Committees heard proposals on everything from restructuring our state government to rules about sunscreen use in schools...

The 92nd General Assembly got off to a quick start. Among the measures voted on during the opening days of the 2019 legislative were bills of interest to Arkansas city officials. By a 33-to-1 vote, the Senate approved legislation to allow cities to accept legal payments through a credit card or debit card. The city can enter a contract with a credit card company to operate the system, and the city would pay the ordinary “swipe fees” to the credit card company, as retailers do...

Last week I attended the Spring River Area Chamber of Commerce banquet and saw several city residents recognized and awarded for their civic endeavors. Congratulations to Susan Jett and Ron Rhodes in sharing the E. Wilson Green Award for distinguished community service, Dianne Dennis for her photography work and Pamela Rowland for member of the year award. ...

The first day to the regular session has commenced, and has done so clothed in tradition. Representatives took the Oath of Office, “so help us God.” The House sent letters both to the Senate and the Governor to signify we are ready for the people’s business. ...

As every fourth-grade student learns in civics class, Missouri’s government has three distinct branches: the legislature, the executive and the courts. Each of these branches operates independently, but like the three legs of a stool, none can stand on its own...

Life is precious. It’s fragile, vulnerable, and must be protected. When our founding fathers established a new, free land, they wrote that our God-given rights would be protected in the United States of America. And the most crucial of these rights is the right to life...

It’s National School Choice Week! I want to take a moment and thank those who have contributed to my education journey. I have attended traditional and charter public schools and will graduate high school from a private school. A traditional public school gave me a great foundation. ...

Highway funding, tax cuts, teacher salaries, and transforming state government are just a few of the many issues before us this session. So far, more than 200 bills have been filed in the House. More than 130 bills have been filed in the Senate. These bills, and the hundreds yet to be filed, will all be thoroughly vetted in the committee process...

The 92nd General Assembly began with the traditional combination of ceremonial activities and then immediately getting down to business. Newly elected senators took the oath of office, administered by the chief justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court...

Retired at 70 and enrolled in Medicare: Why is my Part B premium over $500? Dear Toni: I retired from my law firm in December and my Medicare began Jan. 1. Today, my wife and I both received a letter from Social Security stating that our Medicare Part B and D will increase to $433.40 for Part B and $70.90 for Part D, totaling over $504.30 monthly from both of our Social Security checks...

The Missouri General Assembly convened in Jefferson City on Jan. 9. The opening week of the Legislature was full of ceremony, ritual and fanfare. New lawmakers took their oaths, the Senate elected a new president pro tem and legislators and their guests enjoyed a festive evening during the Legislative Ball held in the Capitol Rotunda...

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. Unfortunately, the ongoing debate over border security has been marked with insanity for years, but especially now with Nancy Pelosi in charge of the U.S. House of Representatives...

Having a diverse membership helps the House of Representatives more effectively serve the people of Arkansas. For the 92nd General Assembly, the House membership will be diverse in age, gender, race, and careers.        Our members will range in ages from 28 to 81. Women will make up 25% of the House, tying a record set in 2009. And there will be 13 African-American legislators serving in the House...

Enrolling in Medicare online can be confusing Toni: Last week, you wrote about how to apply for Medicare online by having to start a “My Social Security” account. I had no problem opening the “My Social Security” account and answering the credit questions because I knew those answers. When it came to fill out the application for Medicare that was another story...

I’m disappointed that differences in funding priorities has resulted in a partial government shutdown. Republicans and Democrats must come to the table to find a solution so we can end this partial shutdown and allow all federal agencies to provide the service Arkansans and all Americans expect and deserve. I’ve received many phone calls, letters and emails about the partial shutdown and I want to share a few answers to some of the frequently asked questions...

Well, Christmas is behind us and end of the year bargains are now being pursued. Hopefully, it was an enjoyable Christmas holiday for you and your family. I wish to congratulate the lighting contest winners. The winning displays were located on Sarasota Dr., Pottawattamie Dr., Standing Elk Dr., Annette Dr., and Whispering Winds Tc. ...

With the start of a new year comes the start of a new legislative session. Being the first regular session of the 100th General Assembly, this session is sure to be historic for plenty of reasons. I am personally looking forward to returning to our state’s beautiful Capitol and continue working to make Missouri a better place to live, work and raise a family...

This week was the beginning of the 116th Congress, and from the first day it was clear the U.S. House of Representatives is heading in a greatly different direction. A new Speaker of the House, new governing rules, and new members ensure the next two years will be a bumpy ride – buckle up...

Does Medicare Pay for Medical Care Overseas? Toni: My husband, who is turning 65 this April, was laid off from a major engineering firm this year and the only way he can make a living is as an engineer on a contract basis as a 1099 employee with no benefits. I am a stay at home wife, who is now on COBRA...