Page 41 - ATR 2 2020 digital

ests. Newton said that in recent years,
the Supreme Court has not been friend-
ly to business, a good example being its
late removal of Issue 1, a proposed tort
reform ballot initiative, in 2018.
“I think if you look at recent deci-
sions of the Supreme Court, certainly
the business community felt as though
our interests or the things that we were
advocating for have not been given due
time or consideration, or they have
not consistently or even occasionally
found in favor of the business commu-
nity’s reasoning on several arguments,”
Newton said.
However, the ATA did not fare as
well in the other race where it contrib-
uted its maximum amount, the state
Senate District 21 race between Sen.
John Cooper, R-Jonesboro, and Rep.
Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro. Sullivan
won with 58.6% of the vote.
The ATA backed Cooper because he
has consistently supported the business
community and also voted for Gov.
Asa Hutchinson’s two highway funding
measures in the 2019 legislative session.
Act 416 raises $95 million annually
for highways by increasing diesel and
gasoline taxes, increasing registration
fees on hybrid electric cars, and through
casino revenues. Cooper also voted to
allow Arkansans in November to vote
for permanently extending the half-
cent sales tax that currently funds the
Connecting Arkansas Program but is
set to expire in 2023. Extending the tax
would provide $205 million annually
for state highways and also $43 million
each for cities and counties. Sullivan
voted against both measures.
Cooper, who had the support of
Gov. Asa Hutchinson, was hurt by an
“F” rating from the National Rifle
Association. That rating was based on
a single vote that helped kill a “stand
your ground” bill that would have
allowed individuals to use deadly force
when they have an option to retreat.
Cooper also has consistently supported
the Arkansas Works program that uses
federal dollars to purchase private
health insurance for lower-income
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