Page 35 - ATR 2 2019 digital

the membership on both ends to come the state already has a plan in place, highway plan, but even on sunny days
up with something, that I think a lot Arkansas will be prepared to reap the like today, he is thinking about clouds
of people probably thought couldn’t be rewards if a national investment is on the horizon.
done,” Shepherd said. passed, which usually comes with a “What keeps me up at night?
state match. “It will just strengthen our Well, what you have to worry about is
WHAT ABOUT A NATIONAL opportunities, and I’ll just come back to the downturn in the economy. We’ve
HIGHWAY PLAN? the trucking industry is one out of every been blessed with a strong economy in
The governor recognized that 12 jobs in Arkansas. That’s how we get Arkansas since I’ve been governor, but
Arkansas has an infrastructure problem, our markets abroad and to other states. we all know that it won’t last forever,”
and he made it Arkansas’ responsibility We’re great producers here, but truck- he says.
to solve. But for Arkansas to progress, we ing carries us to those markets. And so “Economic slow-downs worry any
have crops and products and technol- we want to continue to grow. That’s a governor, and I’m no exception to that.”
ogy to deliver to the rest of the country. critical part of our growth, and I think “I wish people understood more of
Crumbling roads isn’t just an Arkansas we’re really well positioned to get it all.” the responsibility that goes into being
problem; it’s an American problem. He governor to balance the budgets, and it’s
isn’t optimistic though that Washington BALANCING THE BOOKS easy to go out there with one legislator
can do what we just did — work together When a problem goes on for so and say, ‘Well, we ought to get this tax
on a bipartisan plan. long, it’s surprisingly easy to get used credit’ or, ‘We ought to lower this tax’
“I’m very skeptical. It’s just a very to a new normal. Highway funding is a or, ‘We ought to do that.’ I have to put
difficult environment in Washington,” bit like that. It had been decades since that budget together, and so I do wish
he pauses “...but if there’s anything they it was addressed in a meaningful way. everybody really could see the challenge
ought to agree upon, it is infrastructure But paying the bills and maintaining that’s associated with that balanced
and highways, which has always been the things we have is a boring part of budget. We’ve done an incredible job,
approached in a bipartisan way.” maturity. and we’ve got savings set aside. We’re
He acknowledges the election sea- It’s a point of pride, he says that balancing the budget, but I think the
son will make it difficult, but because we have a balanced budget and a new governor plays a unique role in that.” ATR

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