Governor: More jobs are needed to help disabled

He gets Easter Seals honors

Gov. Asa Hutchinson wants to help more disabled Arkansans get jobs, he said at a ceremony Wednesday naming him as the 2016 Easter Seals Arkansas Arkansan of the Year.

Hutchinson said he’s trying to grow the state’s economy and create jobs.

“We’ve also got to create more job opportunities for those with disabilities and make sure that they have a meaningful place and opportunity for dignity,” he said at a news conference at the Easter Seals Outpatient Services building in west Little Rock.

“Whether it is voluntary encouragement of our industry leaders to hire those with disabilities and make sure that is open to them, or whether it is our educational environment, those opportunities are important,” Hutchinson said.

He said he signed into law earlier this year a bill supported by Senate President Pro Tempore Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, and other legislators to allow tax credits for families with those with disabilities to help cover the related expenses that the family incurs.

Act 1238 — sponsored by Rep. Julie Mayberry, R-East End — created the Achieving a Better Life Experience Program. The law is projected to cost $24,000 in state general revenue in fiscal 2017, according to the state Department of Finance and Administration.

“Eastern Seals is the leading statewide organization in terms of support for those families, adults and children with disabilities. I am delighted to be supportive of you as well and to receive this recognition, and hopefully we can continue in this state to earn that,” Hutchinson said. “We can’t forget those that are disabled, those who have more challenges in life than the rest of us.”

Easter Seals Arkansas will honor Hutchinson at its banquet March 31 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, the group said Tuesday. The event is the group’s largest fundraiser each year.

Hutchinson has been governor since he was sworn in on Jan. 13.

The Easter Seals Arkansas’ previous Arkansans of the Year include several governors or former governors. Among them are: Mike Beebe in 2008; Mike Huckabee in 2000; Frank White in 1998; Dale Bumpers in 1995; and David Pryor in 1991-93, according to the group.