Gov. Asa Hutchinson's chief of staff, Michael Lamoureux, is departing the governor's office at the end of this month for the private sector, Lamoureux said Monday.
When asked for details about his private-sector work, Lamoureux, 39, said in a text message to this newspaper that "it's a work in progress."
Asked if he plans to be a lobbyist, Lamoureux replied in a text, "I have a cooling-off period at the state level."
State law bars employees in the governor's office from registering as lobbyists in Arkansas for a year after they depart the office, said Graham Sloan, director of the Arkansas Ethics Commission.
Asked if he plans to be a lobbyist of Congress, Lamoureux replied in a text, "Once I have a firm plan, I will get it to you. Premature for me at this point."
Lamoureux is a close friend of U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Dardanelle. Cotton spokesman Caroline Rabbitt and Lamoureux said he is not going to work for Cotton.
Asked whether his private sector job will be in Russellville, where he is from, Lamoureux replied in a text, "I have always had an office there. Until I closed it for this job.
"At this point I have not figured out if I will have an office there or not," he said.
Lamoureux's replacement as chief of staff "has not been decided yet," Hutchinson's spokesman J.R. Davis said.
Hutchinson and Lamoureux announced the departure Monday. Legislative leaders hope to wrap up business in this year's fiscal session by the end of this week.
Lamoureux has served as Hutchinson's chief of staff since Hutchinson was sworn in as governor on Jan. 13, 2015. The attorney and former state senator played a behind-the-scenes role as Hutchinson's chief of staff. His salary is $113,212 this fiscal year, according to the Arkansas Transparency website.
Hutchinson said in a written statement that Lamoureux "has been an essential part of my team from the beginning, and I will greatly miss his counsel and strategic thinking.
"There are very few people who offer the same depth of state government experience as Michael, and his service as my chief of staff has proven key in accomplishing my legislative agenda. I wish him all the best in his future opportunities," the Republican governor said.
Lamoureux said in a written statement that he is grateful for his experience working with Hutchinson since the day after the November 2014 election.
"Serving under the governor has been a public honor and a privilege," Lamoureux said. "Although I am leaving for another professional opportunity, I look forward to the continued success of his administration in the years to come."
Lamoureux said Monday that his departure from the governor's office is "not at all" related to last October's disclosure of his work for the Arkansas Faith and Freedom Coalition in 2013 nor any possible investigation of that work.
The Arkansas Faith and Freedom Coalition, a branch of the national organization founded by conservative activist Ralph Reed, paid Lamoureux's Russellville law firm $120,000 for "consulting" services in 2013 when Lamoureux was Senate president pro tempore, according to tax records.
That year, the nonprofit coalition -- known for working to get faith-based and other conservative voters out to the polls -- received a total of $140,000 in donations from six people or businesses, including nursing home-owner Michael Morton, a business owned by lobbyist Bruce Hawkins and two tobacco companies -- RAI Services Co. and Altria Client Services.
In October 2015, Lamoureux defended his 2013 work with the coalition when he was the Senate's leader, saying, "At all times I followed the law and ethics rules, and reported any income received by my law firm on our tax returns. This position in no way influenced my job as a state senator."
In October, Davis said the governor "absolutely" stands behind Lamoureux. "Michael Lamoureux's affiliation with the coalition has long since passed. ... The governor has the utmost confidence in Michael Lamoureux," Davis said.
Lamoureux has said he encouraged Hutchinson to run for governor in 2014 because Republicans have "developed a bench, but we still needed [Hutchinson's] leadership."
After his election in November 2014, Hutchinson tapped Lamoureux to be his transition director and then chief of staff. Shortly thereafter, Lamoureux resigned as the Senate president pro tempore.
Lamoureux, who had worked part time for the state Public Defender Commission, served in the state Senate from December 2009-November 2014 and, prior to that, in the state House of Representatives from 2003-2009, rising to be House Republican leader.
Senate President Pro Tempore Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, said Monday that Lamoureux did "a great job" as Hutchinson's chief of staff. Dismang served one term in the House and has been in the Senate since 2011.
Dismang said he has enjoyed working with the chief of staff, but understood that Lamoureux has another opportunity.
House Speaker Jeremy Gillam, R-Judsonia, said Lamoureux "always has been a good friend of mine since I have been in the General Assembly." Gillam has served in the Legislature since 2011.
"I will miss working with him, for sure," he said. "I wish him all the best and happiness moving on."
A Section on 05/03/2016