2 in race for state seat talk of issues
They weigh in on ‘pot,’ wage raise
Hot Springs Democrat Jerry Rephan promised to introduce legislation next year to raise the state’s minimum wage from $8.50 to $10 an hour, if he’s elected in House District 25 in the Nov. 8 general election.
His Republican opponent — Les Warren of Hot Springs — says he opposes the Legislature raising the state’s minimum wage.
Rephan said he’ll vote for a proposed initiated act on the ballot to allow the use of medical marijuana in Arkansas, but he’ll vote against another proposal on the ballot, a proposed constitutional amendment to allow the use of the illegal drug for medical purposes.
Warren said he will vote against both ballot measures that open the door to medical marijuana use.
Rephan and Warren are vying for the seat in House District 25, which comprises part of Garland County and Hot Springs. The Democratic incumbent, attorney John Vines of Hot Springs, isn’t seeking re-election.
The representative job pays a salary of $39,400 a year, plus per diem and mileage expenses for attending legislative meetings. The term for a representative is two years.
The House of Representatives now has 62 Republicans, 34 Democrats and an independent, Rep. Nate Bell of Mena. There are three vacant seats because of the resignations of Reps. Bill Gossage, R-Ozark, and Kelley Linck, R-Flippin, and the death of Rep. Sheilla Lampkin, D-Monticello. Gossage and Linck resigned to take
state jobs.
Rephan, 68, is an attorney. In a March 2011 special election, he lost to state Rep. Bruce Cozart, R-Hot Springs, who represents District 24.
Warren, 57, is president of Hot Springs Title Co. and served from 2003-13 on the Lakeside School Board. He is making his first bid for the Legislature and defeated Republican Richard Midkiff of Hot Springs in the March 1 primary.
Rephan said voters should vote for him because he’ll “stand up for the average person” and he better understands the district.
Warren said voters should elect him because he has been extremely involved in issues affecting the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and education, and local government issues to improve Hot Springs and Garland County.
Both Rephan and Warren said they want to work on creating jobs and improving education.
Rephan said the state needs to fully fund pre-kindergarten programs to allow more children to participate because the youths will become better readers by third grade, have fewer discipline problems in school and are more likely to attend college.
He said Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s goal to reduce the state’s top income tax rate from 6.9 percent to 5 percent “is a very improper goal” that would reduce state tax revenue by more than $100 million a year. “I think we need to fund pre-K first,” he said.
Warren said reducing the state’s top income rate from 6.9 percent to 5 percent would help a broad segment of Arkansans, and he supports that goal.
He said his top priority in the Legislature would be to improve education from pre-kindergarten through college. He said he would “love” to see increased state funding for pre-kindergarten programs for children whose parents want them enrolled.
Warren said he also wants to work on providing vocational education for students who don’t plan to attend college, and he wants to work on expanding workforce training and broadband access.
Rephan said he would push for increased state funding for the state’s colleges. Such funding has been flat for the past decade.
Rephan said he would propose raising the state’s min- imum wage by $1.50 to $10 an hour “because people are working hard out there and not making ends meet.”
If somebody shows up to work 40 hours a week, he should be paid more to meet his family’s needs, he said.
“My perception is a rising tide lifts all boats,” and increasing the minimum wage would increase demand for businesses’ goods and services, Rephan said.
In November 2014, voters handily approved an initiated act to raise the state’s minimum wage in three increments from $6.25 an hour to $8.50 an hour. The amendment first raised the minimum to $7.50 an hour on Jan. 1, 2015; then increased it to $8 an hour on Jan. 1 of this year; and will raise it to $8.50 an hour, effective Jan. 1, 2017.
Warren said he opposes the Legislature increasing the state’s minimum wage because “I am a small-business man, and I don’t want the Legislature dictating what the minimum wage is.”
“If the market moves it up, let it happen,” he said.
Warren said he supported Hutchinson’s plan to change the private option program under which the state purchases private health insurance for low-income Arkansans, using Medicaid dollars. Hutchinson’s plan renamed the program as Arkansas Works.
“I believe the governor has the best interests of people at heart,” he said.
Asked whether he would vote to reauthorize the use of state and federal funding for Arkansas’ version of Medicaid expansion next year, Warren said, “I have not been able to see the data. [But] based on what I have seen I would support the governor and the plan he has put forth.”
Rephan said, “We need to continue that.”
Arkansas’ version of Medicaid expansion covers more than 300,000 Arkansans, brings about $1.6 billion a year in federal funds into the state’s economy and helps reduce the state’s unemployment rate to 3.9 percent, he said.
First approved by the Legislature in 2013, the expansion of the Medicaid program extended coverage to adults with incomes of up to 138 percent of the poverty level: $16,394 for an individual, for instance, or $33,534 for a family of four.
Most of those covered under the expanded part of the program receive the coverage through what is known as the private option, which uses Medicaid funds to buy coverage through private insurance plans. The state will start paying 5 percent of the cost of the program next year, and its share will gradually increase to 10 percent by 2020.
On the abortion issue, Rephan said, “A woman, her doctor and her faith should make the best decision that is best for their family.”
Warren said he opposes abortions with the exception of saving the life of the mother and in cases of rape or incest.
Rephan said he intends to vote for the Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act, promoted by the Arkansans for Compassionate Care, because “I am very concerned about our opioids addictions, and I think this is one of the paths to success. There will be less dangerous opioids around if we pass the Cannabis Act.”
Rephan said he plans to vote against proposed Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment because the campaign for the proposed amendment is funded by a liquor wholesaler, and medical marijuana would be managed under similar rules to the way the state manages alcohol.
Both proposals would allow the drug to be used to treat patients under the direction of a doctor, but they differ in their approaches. For example, the Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act would allow patients who meet certain standards to grow their own marijuana, while the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment wouldn’t.
Warren said he plans to vote against both measures. “I am against them, period.”
Rephan said he’ll vote against a proposed constitutional amendment that would require the Legislature to set a maximum cap of at least $250,000 on noneconomic damages for pain and suffering in lawsuits against medical providers. The proposal also would limit fees for winning lawyers in those cases to one-third of damages. The proposed amendment is “a horrible act. People that have suffered significant pain and suffering because of neglect by a health care provider would not be able to recover from their injuries,” as a result of the cap on damages, he said.
Warren said he doesn’t know how he is going to vote on that proposed constitutional amendment.
Rephan and Warren said they plan to vote against a proposed constitutional amendment that would authorize three casinos in southwest and Northwest Arkansas. The casinos would be controlled by the owners of three limited liability companies, Jim Thompson of Blue Eye, Mo., and Bob Womack of Branson.