The election is over and now it is time for the members of the 93rd General Assembly to turn their attention to the business of governing. On Monday January 11, the legislature will convene amid one of the most uncertain and turbulent times this state and country have arguably faced since the time preceding the official entry of the United States into World War II.

In all 50 states Governors and legislators are facing adjusted budgets and revenue shortfalls, and economic uncertainty due to the impact of the Coronavirus. Communities across our state have been and will forever be altered due to this pandemic. Your businesses, your friends, your neighbors, and your families have also been impacted to some degree. 

For the last few months, the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Division has been preparing for the upcoming legislative session. The Chamber has worked with Northwest Arkansas’s business leaders both large and small to identify our legislative priorities for the 2021 session. Strengthening our healthcare workforce and promoting regional economic development have been identified as the legislative priorities for 2021.

Healthcare
The Northwest Arkansas business community is working to further the development of the region’s healthcare system. Recent efforts by the Walton Family Foundation in health and wellness initiatives are a growing part of this effort. Combining those efforts with the NWA Council’s establishment of its Healthcare Transformation Division (whose goal is to promote collaboration among health care providers) is the legislative priority for the upcoming session.

The 2021 Regional Legislative Agenda will focus on obtaining legislative support for much needed Graduate Medical Education needs that will establish the region as a healthcare destination, grow employment, attract talent, establish opportunities for entrepreneurship, and address both regional and statewide needs that include:

• State and Federal changes to the Graduate Medical Education Reclassification Process for Northwest Arkansas.
• Establishing Executive and Legislative Support for a State Contribution to a GME Start-up in Northwest Arkansas.
• Creation of a One-Time Grant from the State to Match/Participate with Local Funding of a Medical Start-Up.

Regional Economic Development
Northwest Arkansas must continue to compete for our regional economy to grow. The following have been identified as our 2021 legislative priorities for the region in that regard:

• Support efforts to incentivize existing firms that hire software developers and other technology workers trained in Arkansas’s Rural IT Training Centers to ensure that Arkansas firms can pay a competitive wage to attract talent.
• Support efforts of state universities to expand research expenditures, partner with industry, and commercialize technologies.
• Support Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) retention incentives for qualified businesses or manufacturers to retain jobs through facilities or equipment upgrades.
• Support incentives that attract talent to Arkansas through programs like the Governor’s proposed newcomer income tax credit, and the NWA Council’s effort to attract talent to the region through the Council’s “Life Works Here Initiative”.

It remains to be seen how the 2021 session will proceed due to COVID-19 precautions.  The region is also poised to continue the fight this year. The Council has identified the following areas where it can partner with the state to end the pandemic:

• Participate with the State Public Health Department post COVID-19 in any assessment, strategic planning, documentation of learned lessons, etc.
• Help with recovery efforts and work to stabilize Arkansas’s Health Care infrastructure post COVID-19.
• Establish Marshallese Medicaid eligibility.
• Make virtual and telemedicine approved delivery methods eligible for inclusion for payment.
• Modernize Arkansas Medicaid to allow for risk-based contracting.

2020 was both a trying and transformative year in our lives; much has been expected from so many of us already. With due diligence, patience, and resolve we will come through this stronger and better as a community.  May God bless our front-line worker friends and neighbors and continue to comfort those who have suffered from this pandemic. May our Governor and legislators equip them with the funding, tools, and resources they need to end this pandemic.