Arkansas – On Tuesday, January 14, 2025, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders outlined multiple plans and proposals, including her agenda to eliminate the grocery tax.
During her speech, Sanders stated that one of the cornerstones of her tenure as governor was to cut taxes. She explained that she would work with the legislature this session to get rid of the grocery tax, which she called the “most regressive tax.” Removing this tax would “ease the burden on families just trying to put food on their tables.” Currently, the Arkansas tax on groceries is 0.125%, while the state sales tax is 6.5%. Sanders also announced that the state would use funds from medical marijuana sales to support the summer EBT program and provide free school meals. Additionally, she expressed hope that legislation called the Buy Local Act would pass, encouraging schools to purchase food from local farmers. To further address food-related policies, she reiterated her desire for SNAP benefits to be restricted to healthy foods and to ban the use of food stamps for junk food.
The next topic on the agenda was education. The governor highlighted her plan to make access to higher education more accessible. “I’m announcing my plan to improve our state’s higher education system,” Sanders said. Her proposal aims to simplify the application process by allowing Arkansans to pay one fee and use a single application for any state-supported college or university.
Another key issue discussed was the state’s prison system. Sanders emphasized her effort to build a new prison and add more beds. She acknowledged the bed shortage in state prisons and continued to advocate for constructing a new facility in Franklin County that would house up to 3,000 prisoners once completed.
To conclude her speech, Governor Sanders announced the Arkansas Medal of Freedom program. This initiative will recognize and honor Arkansans who have distinguished themselves through service to the state and their fellow citizens of the United States. The first medal was presented during the legislative session to Dallas County Sheriff Mike Knoedl, who played a crucial role in stopping the gunman during the Mad Butcher grocery store shooting in Fordyce. In that incident, the gunman, Travis Posey, fatally shot four people and injured nine others before Knoedl and other deputies arrested him.
