5:29 P.M.:
LITTLE ROCK — Gov. Asa Hutchinson has called for a special legislative session so Arkansas lawmakers can address several issues, including changes to the state's hybrid Medicaid expansion.
Hutchinson has called for the session to convene at 2 p.m. Monday.
The state Department of Human Services says a plan to move more than 60,000 residents off the expanded Medicaid program will save the state at least $66 million over the next four years.
Hutchinson wants lawmakers to approve changes to the program, which currently covers more than 300,000 low-income residents, including a work requirement for eligibility.
The agenda will also include restructuring the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace, technical corrections medical marijuana regulations and ethics, and an effort to boost the state's long-term reserve fund.
Hutchinson says shoring up the reserve fund will help enhance the state's bond rating.
Read Saturday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
EARLIER:
Arkansas’ Republican governor said Friday that the state’s budget would be reduced by $70 million for the remainder of the fiscal year. The cut comes 10 months into the fiscal year, which ends June 30.
The state has fallen short of the revenue collection forecast, Gov. Asa Hutchinson told reporters during a news conference at the state Capitol.
“Because of the savings that has been generated in the past year, the cut in the budget will be absorbed by the agencies and not impact the delivery of state services or the jobs of those of those who provide them,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson said the shortfall is a “miss on revenue and not a miss on spending.” He noted that the state’s economy is “on track and has momentum.”
“With a 3.6 percent unemployment rate and a workforce that is growing steadily, our economy is strong in the state of Arkansas,” the governor said.
Hutchinson also said he would call a special session later Friday to largely address health care-related issues, with an additional item to "boost the support for a long-term reserve fund."
"That [reserve fund] is really helpful in terms of elevating our bond rating," the governor said, adding that "one of the marks against us is the fact that we have not had a robust, long-term reserve fund."
The special session is set to begin Monday and expected to end Wednesday.
Among the items to be considered are an Arkansas Works waiver authorization that would provide training opportunities and a possible restructuring of the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace.
