Pictured above: Gov. Hutchinson, Senator Jim Hendren, and Speaker of the House Matthew Shepherd
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas’ governor has signed into law a measure creating a $173 million fund to combat the coronavirus and to address a budget shortfall the state faces because of the outbreak. Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed the legislation early Saturday moving the state’s surplus into the newly created “COVID-19 Rainy Day Fund.” The governor can access the fund with the approval of legislative leaders. Hutchinson signed the legislation shortly after the House and Senate approved the legislation in a midnight meeting. The votes cap a special session Hutchinson called in response to a $353 million shortfall projected because of the pandemic.
Watch the historic signing here.
