Blog

BANK DEPARTMENT ADDS ‘EFFICIENCY’ TO MISSION STATEMENT  

“Mission Statements. Agency officials expressed support for efficiency as a concept, though few mission statements include the term. Each agency should include the word efficiency in their mission statement and post it online in an easily accessible format.  Policy Foundation, Arkansas Efficiency Project, Recommendation #1, 3Q-2016   (February 2017) The Arkansas State Bank Department has amended its […]

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LITTLE ROCK STUDENTS NEED SCHOOL CHOICE  

“The most callused aspect of the current education monopoly in Arkansas is that it willingly and deliberately forces children–except those whose parents have wealth–to attend bad schools.” Policy Foundation report,1 September 1998   (January 2017) School choice and charter schools continue to advance since the Little Rock School District was taken over by the state two years […]

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EFFICIENCY PROJECT IN WALL STREET JOURNAL  

(January 2017) The Wall Street Journal, America’s leading commercial daily published a column in its January 14 edition that discussed the Arkansas state government Efficiency Project.  Policy Foundation Executive Director Greg Kaza wrote the column, which noted the “model of efficiency is business.”  The piece identified Arkansas entrepreneurs with “thrift, efficiency and the time value of money” but […]

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PHASE TWO OF EFFICIENCY PROJECT LAUNCHED GOV. HUTCHINSON ESTABLISHES OFFICE OF TRANSFORMATION

“Formal or informal oversight for these recommendations and others should rest with an individual or team that shall work in a collaborative manner with the executive branch to advance efficiencies.” Policy Foundation, Arkansas Efficiency Project, Recommendation #20, 3Q-2016 (December 2016) Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson launched phase two of the state government Efficiency Project by naming Amy Fecher to […]

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EFFICIENCY PROJECT IDENTIFIES 184 INITIATIVES AT STATE DEPARTMENTS

(November 2016) The Policy Foundation’s Efficiency Project has identified 184 cost-saving initiatives underway at Arkansas state departments.  The initiatives are listed in a report that has been delivered to Arkansas Gov Asa Hutchinson. Gov. Hutchinson directed state agencies to cooperate with the Efficiency Project last December.  The Policy Foundation is publishing the 70-page report this fall.  Following […]

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MEDICAL VOLUNTEERS & STATE LINES

Arkansas is a rural state that suffers from a shortage of medical professionals. One oft-discussed idea would assign advanced nurse practitioners a greater role. A lesser-known idea allows medical professionals to volunteer across state lines. It’s early on a recent Saturday morning at Manassas High School on Memphis’ near-north side. Remote Area Medical (RAM), a […]

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GOVERNOR HUTCHINSON MEMORANDUM

As Governor of the State of Arkansas, I am committed to preserving and protecting the financial integrity of our state.  Transparency, accountability, and efficiency promote the people’s faith in good government.  The citizens of Arkansas deserve a critical evaluation of their state government to ensure the cost-effective delivery of services and to ensure that state employees have […]

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Cato Recommendations For Arkansas

Cato Recommendations For Arkansas (August 2016) The Cato Institute, a Washington think tank, has issued its annual ‘Freedom in the 50 States’ report. The report’s fiscal and education recommendations include the following ideas: Fiscal: Cut the state sales and use tax, which is high. Let local governments vary property taxes to meet local needs and […]

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CITIZENSHIP ADVANCES SCHOOL CHOICE

The most callused aspect of the current education monopoly in Arkansas is that it willingly and deliberately forces children–except those whose parents have wealth–to attend bad schools. And it does so with financial resources taken from parents already struggling financially and at the expense of their ability to choose a better school for their sons […]

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