A Tribute to Mothers By Lieutenant Governor Mark A. Darr While reflecting on the upcoming Mother's Day this next Sunday, I thought about my own mother and all of the sacrifices she made for us kids growing up. The wife of a Baptist minister, she never had much, but she did all she could. She's not in great health nowadays and at times, my brother, sisters and I feel like the parents now, as...

A Tribute to Mothers By Lieutenant Governor Mark A. Darr While reflecting on the upcoming Mother's Day this next Sunday, I thought about my own mother and all of the sacrifices she made for us kids growing up. The wife of a Baptist minister, she never had much, but she did all she could. She's not in great health nowadays and at times, my brother, sisters and I feel like the parents now, as...

Irresponsible Spending By Lieutenant Governor Mark A. Darr Last week, a group of legislators on the Arkansas Legislative Council, made up of 31 Democrats and 17 Republicans, voted along party lines to approve spending 7.7 million dollars in taxpayer money to be spent by the Arkansas Insurance Department on planning for a state health insurance exchange as part of implementing the contro...

Lt. Governor's Column By Lieutenant Governor Mark A. Darr While Governor Beebe is in China on an economic development mission, I have the honor of being your Acting Governor. Last week, I had the opportunity to visit the headquarters of the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM) at Camp Robinson. With storm season upon us, I wanted to meet with the people who are responsi...

Exercise Your Right to Vote By Lieutenant Governor Mark A. Darr In the 2010 primary election, only 29% of registered voters exercised their right to vote in Arkansas. In the general election that year, with more than 1.6 million registered voters in Arkansas, only 47.6% (779,957) voted. According to the 2010 Census, there were 2,204,443 Arkansans over the age of 18. That means only 35% of p...

Education Reform By Lieutenant Governor Mark A. Darr We need education reform in Arkansas. What excites me is that many people realize this and they are acting to implement it in new and experimental ways and are seeing results. They are not waiting for some system-wide mandate to move forward. Both public and private schools are thinking outside the box and putting creative ideas to work a...

Lignite Exploration is Essential By Lt. Governor Mark A. Darr This week I wanted to talk to you about an economic issue on which I have been focused. We have a real need for new energy sources in this country right now and I believe that our state has a great deal of potential in contributing to that need. If you're not familiar with lignite, it is a low-grade form of coal. Research...

Your Heart is in Your Hands By Lt. Governor Mark A. Darr At the first of every year, people often make resolutions to get healthy by starting to eat right and exercise. I've done the same thing and as we all know, these efforts usually fall flat as we revert to old habits. But, we really should take our health more seriously. February is American Heart Month. Heart disease is the #...

On School Choice By Lieutenant Governor Mark A. Darr This week is the 2nd Annual National School Choice Week and serves as a wonderful opportunity for parents to learn more about effective education options for their children. National School Choice Week features special events and activities that highlight support for school choice programs and proposals. The effort is a collaboration of ...

What are you doing for others? By Lieutenant Governor Mark A. Darr The third Monday of every January, the nation observes Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in honor of the civil rights leader whose famous dream gave hope to so many others' dreams in this country. Commemorative events are held all over the country to remember his legacy. A Congressional designation in 1994 established this holida...