The state's Medicaid expansion program and a proposed constitutional amendment to limit damages in certain lawsuits are dividing three Russellville Republican candidates vying for a vacant state Senate seat.
Robert J. "Bob" Bailey, Breanne Davis and Luke Heffley are seeking their party's nomination in the Feb. 13 special primary election for which early voting begins Tuesday.
They seek the Senate District 16 seat that includes Newton and Pope counties and parts of Boone, Carroll and Van Buren counties. The Senate seat became vacant with the November death of Sen. Greg Standridge, R-Russellville, from cancer.
If one of the candidates wins a majority of the votes in the primary, the winner will take on Russellville Democrat Teresa Gallegos in a May 22 special election -- the same day as the regular primary election. If no one wins a majority of the votes, the two top voter-getters will advance to a March 13 runoff election to decide who faces Gallegos.
Two other special primary legislative elections are being held Feb. 13 -- in Senate District 29 and House District 83.
Bailey, 59, is owner of Bailey Signature Firearms and is a retired machinist from the Entergy Nuclear One Plant. He is making his first run for elected office. His wife is Gayla. They have two children.
He said voters should cast their ballots for him because he's a constitutional conservative running as a Republican.
"If you love the constitution and are tired of the same old status quo that is running this country into the ground, then vote for me. If you love socialism, the one world government or Republicans that vote like Democrats, then you want to vote for someone else," Bailey said.
Davis, 35, is a senior account executive with SAS Institute, a Cary, N.C.,-based global analytics firm, who has served on the Russellville School Board since 2009. Her husband is John Paul. They have three children.
She said people should cast their votes for her because she and her husband are intertwined with the community from his work with youth sports and local tourism to her School Board tenure and their work as a respite family.
"The challenges that face the state are challenges that we fight in our communities. I want to bring this energy, passion and experience to the state Legislature," Davis said.
Heffley, 47, is a special projects coordinator for Arkansas Tech University. He worked for then-Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Republican, from 1997-2000. Heffley lost a previous race for the state House in 1996. His wife is Joanne. They have three children.
"I truly believe that my background, life experiences and deep roots in this district has given me the experience to take on this humbling responsibility," he said.
"I have been all over the district letting people know that I will uphold the U.S. Constitution, traditional values, gun rights and very pro-life. I believe in more local control and in less government intervention," Heffley said.
MEDICAID EXPANSION
The three Republican candidates are split over the state's version of Medicaid expansion that provides private health insurance to some low-income Arkansans.
Bailey said he opposes the program, while Davis and Heffley signaled their conditional support for the program.
The program has deeply divided Republicans in Arkansas since the Republican-controlled Legislature and then-Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat, authorized the program in 2013. The program is known as Arkansas Works under Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
About 285,000 low-income Arkansans participate in the program. The state's cost for the program is projected to be $108 million in the fiscal year that started last July 1 and $135.6 million in the fiscal year that starts July 1, according to the Department of Human Services. The state's share is 6 percent this year and 7 percent next year, and will increase to 10 percent by 2020 under existing federal law.
Hutchinson awaits federal approval of changes to reduce the income eligibility for the program to 100 percent of the poverty level -- from the current 138 percent -- and impose work requirements for many of the people in the program. The state estimates that that would reduce the number of participants by about 60,000. Those whose incomes are between 100 percent and 138 percent of the poverty level would be eligible for federally subsidized coverage in non-Medicaid plans.
Bailey said he opposes Arkansas Works because "it is unsustainable and will be a constant money pit," and "it is not the duty of government to control every aspect of your health care."
He said he worries that Arkansas Works eventually could cause the state to raise taxes.
"I don't think it should be a function of government to provide health insurance. To me, that's socialism," Bailey said. "The federal government or state government shouldn't be in the business of health care."
Davis said she opposes Obamacare, referring to the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed by then-President Barack Obama in 2010. The federal government has granted waivers to the state to operate Arkansas' version of Medicaid expansion.
She said she will support Arkansas Works "as long as we continue to aggressively reduce our Medicaid population.
"Since Gov. Hutchinson took office, we have reduced our [total] Medicaid rolls by 117,000 people. As long as his plan is working, I will support it," Davis said. "I will not hold foster kids and our elderly population hostage over political rhetoric in Arkansas by voting against the DHS [Department of Human Services] appropriation."
That appropriation includes spending authority reauthorizing the use of state and federal funds for the Arkansas Works program. There is uncertainty in legislative circles whether there are the required 27 votes in the Senate, which has 32 members and three vacant seats, to approve that appropriation in the fiscal legislative session that starts Feb. 12. That's led to speculation about holding a special session to consider the measure after the May 22 special elections. But Hutchinson and legislative leaders have said they hope to win approval for the appropriation in the fiscal session.
Heffley said he opposes Obamacare and "when the U.S. Congress eliminates it or fixes it, we will adopt [it]."
"Now that the mandate [requiring people to purchase health insurance] has been removed and the work waivers ... that Arkansas has requested should be approved by the Trump administration fairly soon, I am optimistic that it will get better," he said.
Heffley said he favors the Medicaid expansion with the work requirements allowed under the waivers sought from the Trump administration, and "I believe with the new requirements and the mandate being eliminated, the number of people on Arkansas Works will be reduced."
TORT REFORM
Bailey and Heffley said they oppose a proposed constitutional amendment that will be on the general election ballot that would limit damages in certain lawsuits and cap attorneys' contingency fees.
The proposed amendment -- referred to voters by the 2017 Legislature -- would place a cap of $500,000 on noneconomic damages. It also would limit punitive damages at the greater of either $500,000 or three times the amount of compensatory damages awarded to the claimant, which is the amount of money to replace what is lost. The limits wouldn't apply under certain circumstances. The General Assembly would be able to increase these limits with a two-thirds vote of each chamber.
The proposal also would allow the Legislature to amend and repeal state Supreme Court rules of pleading, practice and procedure as well as adopt new rules with a three-fifths vote. The Legislature doesn't currently have a role in court rules.
Bailey said he opposes the proposed amendment because "who can put a dollar value on life?"
Davis said she favors the proposed tort reform amendment because "our doctors and small businesses spend too much time, energy and money defending and preventing frivolous lawsuits," she said.
Heffley said he opposes the proposed amendment because it gives the Legislature the right to override the Supreme Court's rules, and "where is the executive branch's role in regards to this override?"
ABORTION
Bailey said he favors allowing doctors to make decisions about an abortion to save the life of a mother, but he is "mostly opposed" to abortion in cases of rape or incest.
Davis said she opposes abortion except to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape or incest.
Heffley said he opposes abortion except to save the life of the mother.
ARKANSAS TECH
Bailey said he doesn't know whether the Russellville-based university gets too much state money or an inadequate amount of state funds. "Who are you supposed to believe? There's not information for me to make an informed decision."
Davis said she would work with others to make sure that state funding for Arkansas Tech is fair and equitable under the funding formula for public two- and four-year colleges.
Heffley said he would work to get equitable funding for Arkansas Tech.
VOUCHERS
Bailey said he favors school choice and wants to study the creation of a voucher system for parents to send their children to private schools. "It may be more realistic to give tax credits to families that choose private education rather than to remove much needed funds from educational spending."
Davis said she opposes creating a voucher system for private schools because "private schools do not want government involvement in their daily decisions and taking in vouchers would eventually jeopardize it."
Heffley said, "I believe that only districts where schools have continually let the students, parents, and the entire education system down, should the state step in [and] pay for those students not to attend that public school."
State senators and representatives are each paid a salary of $40,188 a year. Lawmakers also receive per diem and mileage money to attend legislative sessions and meetings.
NW News on 02/05/2018