Last week, the Arkansas House elected Rep. Brian Evans, R-Cabot, as the Speaker of the House designate.
Evans will begin his term as speaker of the House in January, but he is working with leadership on the upcoming special session. In an interview with KARK Channel 4’s Capitol View, he said he’s working with lawmakers to find a compromise on setting the budget for the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.
“We’re having conversation on a daily basis with some of the different groups that had issues with the way the appropriation and amendments were. I think conversations are moving at a conservative pace,” he said.
Evans also said the legislature is looking at addressing tax cuts in the special session. He added that the latest projections from the Department of Finance & Administration (DF&A) shows a sizable surplus creating an opportunity for tax cuts.
“The reports came out from the DF&A yesterday and we’re seeing a sizable surplus. I think it provides a very good opportunity for us to be prudent with our constituents’ tax dollars to put some tax cut opportunities on the table for all Arkansans,” Evans said.
Last week, the DF&A revised the revenue surplus estimate for 2024 from $240 million to $708 million, according to Talk Business & Politics.
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