Tim on the Issues

A Better Future for Arkansas.

Progress Prevents Poverty.

Legalization of Recreational Marijuana

Arkansas is routinely losing tax revenue to neighboring states as Arkansas residents purchase marijuana there. We should be reaping those tax dollars here. Expanding to recreational use would create a large voluntary tax base and reduce the tax burden on medical patients. It would also create demand for more farms. Arkansas is uniquely positioned to support a large outdoor growing market. We have fertile soil and irrigation systems, and we owe our farmers the opportunity to grow a domestic cash crop that does not rely on exports.

Arkansas is also geographically positioned to be protected from many forms of extreme weather. Located along a transportation corridor, Arkansas farmers deserve the opportunity to supply the national market when—not if—marijuana becomes legal at the federal level. Legalizing recreational use would also allow local businesses to invest in research and development (R&D) within our state to prepare for national sales. This would positively impact the food, beverage, and retail industries by allowing businesses to develop products for a national market now. Our businesses deserve the opportunity to be market-ready for the future.

Right to Live

Every woman, no matter what walk of life she comes from, has the right to live. Both she and any fetus she carries deserve the best care that medical science can provide. But in Arkansas, current laws tie the hands of mothers, fathers, and doctors.

Arkansas has a near-total abortion ban that blocks medically necessary terminations. This makes pregnancy more dangerous. It puts women’s lives and future fertility at risk. It also forces families to endure pregnancies that will end moments after birth because the fetus is not viable.

I will introduce legislation that protects doctors and patients who seek or provide care for medically necessary terminations and terminations resulting from sexual assault. To ensure this legislation is properly focused, I will work with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) to design the bill. I believe the legislation must address saving a woman’s life, preventing the forced continuation of a pregnancy involving a nonviable fetus, and preserving future fertility. The process for proceeding with an abortion would require only the signatures of two licensed healthcare professionals.

In my work at the Arkansas Department of Human Services, I have encountered families who couldn’t get pregnant because of complications from previous pregnancies, as well as families who were afraid to start a family because of the current laws. It doesn’t have to be this way. My legislation will ensure that women and their doctors can protect their well-being and that of any potential children.

Every person in Arkansas, old and young, rich and poor, educated and undereducated, deserves at least one decent meal a day. They should get three. Yet political leaders continue to block access to food assistance. Instead, they push a moral narrative that blames people facing hard times for being hungry, all while cutting health benefits.

Studies have shown that well-designed social programs reduce crime, improve educational outcomes, and improve the quality of life for Arkansas seniors and children.

Arkansas SNAP eligibility is generally limited to households with incomes at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level. Eligibility rules can also consider assets, such as cars and homes. A vehicle cannot be used to purchase groceries, nor can a primary residence. Assets should not be used to calculate eligibility. People should not be forced to spend through their savings before receiving assistance.

I will fight to expand the use of Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE). This policy allows states to broaden SNAP eligibility criteria and eliminate certain asset tests. It can also allow benefits to continue at higher income levels, depending on state policy. Thirty-seven other states use this policy. We should, too.

Average Silver plan premiums in the state health insurance marketplace have increased dramatically, from $473 to $774. A $300 monthly increase is crippling many Arkansans. ARHOME also has a steep eligibility cliff, creating an environment where it can be financially disadvantageous for recipients to increase their income, largely to the benefit of corporations.

Arkansas ranks among the highest-poverty states in the nation. I’m not proud of that statistic, and you shouldn’t be either. Elect me to the state legislature, and I’ll fight to make Arkansas a better place for everyone to live.

End Domestic Violence

Nobody, regardless of age, gender, or sexual orientation, should have to face violence in their own home. Yet Arkansas has an intimate partner violence rate above the national average. Sixty to seventy homicides each year are related to domestic violence, and 45 of those deaths involve gun violence. Why are these numbers so high?

Our systems have failed us.

We don’t adequately fund public education, mental health services, or community safety programs. We don’t do enough to address poverty. Time and time again, we have failed to protect the people of Arkansas.

It’s time for that to change.

When you elect me, I’ll fight to use part of the state’s fiscal surplus to address this problem. I’ll work to invest in programs that help victims escape dangerous situations while ensuring appropriate accountability and treatment for offenders.

These programs could include tax incentives for rental property owners who defer security deposits over the course of a lease, as well as mandatory utility deposit deferrals for the first 120 days for eligible applicants. Eligibility could be established through a referral from a mandated reporter, the issuance of an order of protection, or a police report documenting a domestic disturbance.

It shouldn’t be so hard to escape a dangerous situation. We can change this.

Strengthening SNAP and Health Care Benefits