Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders informed members of the Little Rock Rotary Club on Tuesday that Arkansas’s net general revenue in the first month of the 2026 fiscal year was approximately $10 million higher than anticipated.
Outside voices that claimed tax cuts since she assumed office would harm the state’s economy and not spur economic growth did not anticipate the increase in net revenue, Sanders said.
According to the governor, we have been able to reduce Arkansas taxes three times in the past two years, which has resulted in a 20% reduction in state income taxes and more than $1 billion going back into Arkansans’ pockets. We have reinvested in our state and are witnessing a resurgence as a result.
She claimed that Arkansas continues to rank among the top states for new citizens moving from other states and top in the nation for cost of living, crediting the rankings to her administration’s ability to remove restrictions and make the state even more welcoming to investment and business.
According to her, the state’s economy is at its strongest point ever.
Official income figures will not be made public by the state finance department until Monday. According to Scott Hardin, a spokesman for the Department of Finance and Administration, net revenue may vary marginally over the final two days of July.
Due to storms in April, DFA Secretary Jim Hudson informed lawmakers in May that extending the deadline for state income tax reporting to July 31 would probably result in revenue that should have appeared by the end of fiscal 2025 in June showing up in July’s figures.
During the Rotary’s weekly meeting at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library, Sanders answered questions from Mandy Richardson, the publisher of Soir e magazine.
Sanders praised her landmark education laws, the LEARNS and Arkansas ACCESS acts, as essential elements of her broader workforce development strategy to help draw in industry and assist in-state companies during the about 45-minute fireside discussion.
The state’s K–12 education system was completely redesigned by LEARNS, which also established a minimum salary of $50,000 for teachers, more rigorous third-grade literacy standards and coaches to help meet them, and Educational Freedom Accounts to help parents who wish to send their kids to private schools.
With the next school year, the voucher program will enter its third year and be accessible to all public school students. According to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, the state Education Department has so far authorized over 43,100 applications. According to the newspaper, Sanders is dedicated to supporting all accepted applicants, and if the department grants the entire amount for each application, the cost would be almost $18.5 million higher than the $277 million the Legislature allowed this year.
As of this autumn, Easterseals Arkansas has increased the number of developmentally impaired kids it serves from 20 to 220 thanks to the EFA program, Sanders said on Tuesday. On Monday, she went to the nonprofit’s new K-12 academy for a ribbon-cutting.
The state’s higher education system was altered by Arkansas ACCESS, which also made it possible for job performance reviews to influence faculty tenure, streamlined course design across institutions, made it simpler for students to transfer between two- and four-year institutions, and established an accelerated learning program for high school students who wish to enroll in college-level courses.
According to her, we’ve made great progress in developing a workforce that can satisfy employers’ demands.
By enabling the Public Service Commission to expedite energy businesses’ projects, the governor also praised the actions taken by the Legislature and Administration to enhance the state’s energy infrastructure.
Sanders also listed the following accomplishments on Tuesday:
Only nine states provide teachers with paid maternity leave, including Arkansas.Over the last two years, $4 billion has been invested in water and wastewater infrastructure; however, she pointed out that at least another $4 billion is still required by the counties and cities to meet urgent demands.
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