Hopefuls for state Senate seat weigh in on minimum wage, proposed constitutional amendment

A map showing the location Senate District 16
A map showing the location Senate District 16

Democrat Teresa Gallegos and Republican Breanne Davis, Russellville residents vying for a vacant state Senate seat, are at odds over issues such as raising the state's minimum wage, a proposed constitutional amendment that would limit certain damages in civil lawsuits and abortion.

They are running for the Senate District 16 seat in a May 22 special election to fill the vacancy created by the Nov. 16 death of Sen. Greg Standridge, R-Russellville, after his battle with cancer. The Senate district is comprised of Newton and Pope counties and parts of Boone, Carroll and Van Buren counties.

State party primary and judicial elections will also be held on May 22.

With the backing of Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Davis advanced to the special election by defeating Bob Bailey of Russellville in the March 13 GOP runoff election. Gallegos was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

The winner of the special election will serve the rest of the four-year term to which Standridge was elected in 2016; the term expires in January 2021. Early voting starts May 7.

THE CANDIDATES

Gallegos, 29, a project manager for Denali Water Solutions, is making her first bid for elected office.

She attended the Democratic National Convention in 2016 as a delegate for presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. She is married to Nathaniel Chapman, an assistant professor of sociology at Arkansas Tech University.

Davis, 35, is a senior account executive with the North Carolina-based global analytics firm SAS Institute. Davis serves on the Russellville School Board. She is married to financial adviser John Paul Davis, and they have three children.

Gallegos said voters should cast their ballots for her because "our government is broken.

"Too many of our elected officials serve corporate special interests and wealthy campaign donors instead of people in our community and our natural environment," she said.

"I will be beholden to no one but our community," Gallegos said, citing numerous people ranging from teachers to health care professionals to small-business people.

Gallegos reported raising $13,543.50 in contributions and spending $9,596.05 through March 31. Through March 3, Davis reported raising $148,325 in contributions and spending $94,068.38.

Davis said she has experience working with various parts of the community, and her service on the Russellville School Board for the past nine years and her job in the past three years have given her an inside look at state agencies.

"I feel like I am in a good place to be able to represent the people across the district well," she said.

MINIMUM WAGE

Gallegos said her top priorities would include increasing the state's minimum wage from $8.50 an hour to $12 an hour because people who work 40 hours a week shouldn't struggle to provide the basic necessities for their families. She said the businesses that she has talked to in the Senate district have indicated that they can afford that kind of minimum wage increase.

But Davis said she opposes Gallegos' proposal to increase the minimum wage because it would increase the cost of living for people.

"I understand people wanting to have a livable working wage. [But] just raising the minimum wage doesn't solve the issue," she said.

MEDICAID EXPANSION

Gallegos said she supports the state's Medicaid expansion program for low-income Arkansans in part because she grew up on Medicaid. About 280,000 Arkansans are enrolled in Arkansas' version of Medicaid expansion called Arkansas Works.

The state will pay 6 percent of the cost of the program this year, 7 percent next year and 10 percent in 2020 with the federal government covering the rest of the tab under existing federal law. The state Department of Human Services has projected the state's share of the cost at about $135 million in fiscal 2019 starting July 1, and the federal government's share at about $1.95 billion.

Gallegos said she favors repealing the work requirement that the Trump administration recently approved for some people enrolled in the state's Medicaid expansion program. "I support removing barriers to coverage because health care is a human right," she said.

Davis said she supports the work requirement imposed on able-bodied Medicaid recipients ages 19-49, saying it is reasonable to expect them to work, undergo job training or volunteer for at least 80 hours a month.

She said she wants to make sure the state's Medicaid expansion program is working effectively and efficiently.

TAX ISSUES

Gallegos said she has many questions about the Republican governor's plan to cut the state's top individual income tax rate from 6.9 percent to 6 percent. The cut is projected to reduce tax revenue by about $180 million a year. A panel of legislators is now reviewing the state's tax structure.

"I am very cautious about a plan to gamble with budget funding at the expense of potential cuts to essential state programs and agencies," she said. "I look forward to reading the legislative [tax overhaul] task force report in September."

Davis said she supports Hutchinson's plan to cut the top individual income tax rate.

"The top income tax bracket kicks in around $35,000 which is close to the average starting teacher salary in Arkansas. Lowering the rate to [6 percent] will put money back into the pockets of hardworking Arkansans and make us more competitive with surrounding states," she said in a written statement.

The state's top income tax rate is for people with more than $77,401 a year in taxable income and the top rate covers their taxable income above $36,300 a year, according to the state Department of Finance and Administration.

Both Davis and Gallegos said they want to work to enact a sales tax on online sales if the U.S. Supreme Court issues a ruling or if Congress approves legislation allowing states to impose such a tax.

COURT ISSUES

Issue 1 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would limit noneconomic damages and punitive damages in civil lawsuits with certain exceptions, and allow the Legislature to amend and repeal state Supreme Court rules of pleading, practice or procedure, as well as adopt new rules with a three-fifths vote. Lawmakers now do not have a role in these court rules.

Gallegos said she will vote against Issue 1 on the Nov. 6 general election ballot.

"The Legislature should not be writing the rules for the courts," Gallegos said. "With a monetary cap, citizens who became victims of civil misconduct may not be able to rightfully recover all damages due to them while the other party can budget for their worst-case scenario and not be held fully accountable for their offense."

Davis said she supports this proposed constitutional amendment. The Legislature decided in 2017 to place the proposal on the ballot.

"I believe we do need tort reform. We spend a lot of money on frivolous lawsuits and something needs to be done to address it," she said.

Gallegos said she trusts "women in making their own decisions about their bodies and reproductive health."

She said "it is time for a culture shift.

"Sex education should no longer be taboo. The more women and men know about safe and consensual relationships, communication, contraception options for family planning and STD prevention, the less unplanned pregnancies will occur," Gallegos said.

Davis said she would like to see data that backs Gallegos' statement that leads to fewer unplanned pregnancies. She said she opposes abortion except to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape or incest.

EDUCATION

Gallegos said she supports increasing state funding to the pre-kindergarten program so it is universally accessible. Davis said pre-kindergarten is a very important program to get children prepared for kindergarten, and she wants to get more information before deciding whether it needs more funding.

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Arkansas Secretary of State

Teresa Gallegos

Metro on 04/21/2018

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