I got back to town too late to catch Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s chat with the press this afternoon, but the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette roundup suggested little news was made.
Who knows if Leslie Rutledge or Tom Cotton will join the Trump administration? If either or both does, he’ll be ready to appoint a stand-in. Reading between the lines, he sounded like he thought a Cotton appointment was a stronger possibility.
Tax cuts and budget priorities? Still mulling.
Legal medical marijuana vs. federal laws that make marijuana illegal? Not ready to say how that contradiction can or will be resolved. One question includes the matter that it might be illegal to sell a firearm to someone with an otherwise legal scrip for medical pot.
He did say he hoped to move the state energy office from Economic Development to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality to facilitate spending of some $14 million the state expects from legal action against Volkswagen. It will be spent for unspecified energy uses, something worth keeping a close eye on.
The governor’s office sometimes posts full video of press events. I’ll add it if one turns up.