Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Health one of three "H's" Legislature will address

Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has three "H's" planned for this year's session of the Arkansas General Assembly.

The session began Monday, Jan.10, but, on Jan. 3, State Representatives Tommy Roebuck and Chris Thomason were in Prescott to discuss the session.

Huckabee's three "H's" are: health, highways and higher education, Roebuck said, but added the legislature will be dealing with more issues than these, including the Arkansas National Guard.

Randy Wright, 8th Judicial District North Prosecuting Attorney, who was on hand for the meeting, said there are two critical issues for the judicial system needing to be addressed. First, he said, the state can't put everyone in jail who violates drug laws and an alternative program needs to be developed.

The drug courts, he said work and are less expensive than keeping someone in jail. "It costs $35,000 a year to house a prisoner and $4,000 a year for drug court. Drug court helps people get off drugs. It's a lifestyle change."

Roebuck agreed drug court is a good, and successful program. He said it's costing the state $1 million per day to keep inmates in county jails and this need to be changed.

Thomason was in accord with Wright and Roebuck on drug courts. He said these courts attack the problem of addiction, instead of just having someone sit in a jail cell. But, he pointed out, drug courts can't just be created, they need resources and funding.

Turning to the issue of health, Thomason said there are more than 400,000 uninsured people in the state. "We live in the most advanced nation in the world and there are many who don't have access to proper health care. There are so many uninsured it puts a strain on the system and adds to the costs. I don't know the answer, but we can't compromise on the health of the people or the costs will mushroom on us."

The Arkansas Department of Health, Roebuck said, is focusing on prevention, which is a good thing. But, he added, there are still a lot of uninsured children who aren't getting the medical attention they need. "We're looking at the tobacco suit settlement to fund agencies trying to help the uninsured with their medical needs."

There was $100 million set aside in 2001, Roebuck said, from the tobacco suit. In three years it has earned $10 million in interest which hasn't been earmarked for anything. "We could use some of this money to support community health centers."

From there the topic changed to education. Roebuck said education did "OK" this time (in the elections) and there are several from the education field in the House of Representatives.

The facility study cost $2.3 million, he said, and it will take $87.6 million to correct the problems found and make the schools safe and healthy for the students and staffs. Roebuck said he doesn't know where this money will come from, but it will have to be phased in.

The facility study, Thomason said, is a good tool for the legislature. While it isn't perfect, he added, it does give the lawmakers somewhere to start from and a direction to go. Thomason suggested local people get copies of the study and study it, then offer their suggestions to their legislators.

The study, Thomason said, didn't take current construction into account, only existing structures. When the study began, 5,000 buildings were involved. When it finished, the number had risen to 6,500.

However, Thomason said, this doesn't mean 6,500 buildings need to be replaced. Many need minor repairs, though there are some which will have to be rebuilt.

Lindy Franks, with the Southwest Arkansas Education Cooperative, said the legislature doesn't need to pass any new laws for education, just tweak the ones already in place. But, if anything new is passed, she said, it needs to be funded.

Jim Franks, with the Bank of Prescott and a former member of the Prescott School Board, said the Lake View lawsuit is over for everyone except the attorneys.

"We all want safe facilities," he said, "but the key is still the classroom teachers. We need to do all we can for them so they have what they need."

Franks said problems at home go to school with children, and school has become the central part of children's lives. This means teachers have become more. "We need to invest in staff development, training, and curriculum training. Teachers are the hub that makes the wheel go. We need the spokes to make sure the wheel doesn't cave in."

"Schools can never replace families," Thomason said. "Communities need to address this situation. We can't expect teachers to overcome family problems. Schools want parents involved in education and we need to be realistic. We can't legislate good parents, but we can legislate responsibility."