Gov. Sanders prioritizes education, safety and cost of living in annual address

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders outlined her legislative agenda to lawmakers Tuesday, warning state college professors about "indoctrination."

Why it matters: The Republican governor will prioritize education, cost-of-living measures and public safety this year, she told a joint session of Arkansas lawmakers on the second day of the state's 95th General Assembly.

Education

Doubling down on an executive order banning "indoctrination" in public schools, she plans to expand a policy to state colleges.

• "We will make it so that any professor — tenured or not — that wastes time indoctrinating our students instead of educating them can be terminated from their job," Sanders said.
• Her office didn't immediately respond with a definition of "indoctrination."

Sanders announced the creation of Arkansas ACCESS, a program that will allow college applicants to use one application and pay one fee for any state-supported college or university, helping to expand access to higher education and nondegree credentials.

• Expanding scholarships to associate degrees and nondegree credentials will help address increasing costs, she said.

Cost of living

Sanders envisions a streamlined budget. Her proposal controls spending increases and allows for continued investment in education and maternal health, she said.

• The budget proposal, first shared in November, includes a nearly 3% spending increase. But the administration aims to save $300 million through the Arkansas Forward plan while raising pay for state employees.
• She also proposed eliminating the state's grocery tax and using revenue from medical marijuana sales to fund the Summer EBT program and sustain free lunch and breakfast programs for students.

Public safety

Sanders' public safety agenda ranged from support for the proposed prison in Franklin County to banning cellphones in public schools, and from preventing Chinese companies from buying state land to dealing with immigrants.

• "Here in Arkansas, we will pass the Defense Against Criminal Illegals Act to slap enhanced penalties on violent illegal immigrants and remove them from our state," she said.

The other side: State Rep. Andrew Collins (D-Little Rock) and state Sen. Fred Love (D-Mabelvale) provided a Democratic response to Sanders' speech.

• Democrats are aligned with Sanders' priorities of improving public education and maternal health, Collins said, though he panned the school voucher program.
• "We'll be pushing back against harmful legislation that fails to put people first," Collins said. "Every session, nice-sounding ideas give way to harmful, extreme culture war, attacks on people in our state — teachers, immigrants, minority groups, our neighbors and friends. They do not deserve our demonization, they deserve our support."
• "Where is the legislation that goes along with the priorities the governor outlined today?" Love asked, noting that the LEARNS Act was rushed through both chambers in 2023.

What's next: It's now on lawmakers to hash out the finer points of legislation.