Economic Development The Little Rock Regional Chamber is the region's leader for economic development. To that end, the chamber supports:
Creation of a permanent economic development funding source at the local level
Continued funding of the Governor’s Quick Action Closing Fund
Elimination of sales tax on natural gas and electricity used in the manufacturing process
Enhancing the Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s, Arkansas Science and Technology Authority’s, and the Arkansas Development Finance Authority’s programs, incentives, and resources
Legislative priorities of Accelerate Arkansas to raise the state’s per capita income to the national average by 2020
Education The economic development of the region is dependent on a strong, viable public school system. To that end, the chamber supports:
It has long been a priority of the chamber to increasing voter turnout in school board elections by moving the date of the election to the primary or general election date. Thanks to a law passed by the Arkansas Legislature during the 2017 Legislative Session, public school districts must now hold school board elections on either of those two dates
An orderly transition of public education in Pulaski County following the end of the desegregation lawsuit
Education reforms enacted by Act 649 of 2003
Public Safety The chamber supports:
Increasing County reimbursement rates for State prisoners
A new, dedicated revenue source for the Pulaski County jail
Innovative improvements to state and local prevention, intervention, and treatment efforts
Timely transfer of state prisoners in the Pulaski County jail to Department of Corrections facilities
Labor and Workplace The chamber opposes:
Attempts to enact a Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act
Legislation that requires public or private employers to withhold union dues from employee paychecks
Any attempt to repeal, reverse, or limit the Arkansas Right to Work law
Tort Reform The chamber supports:
Protecting the legal reforms enacted by Act 649 of 2003 Workers’ Compensation
Protecting the workers’ compensation reforms enacted by Act 796 of 1993
