As Arkansas Treasurer of State, I would make it my mission to bring information and analysis of state finances to my stakeholders: the people of Arkansas.
For example, every year the Arkansas legislature adopts a budget for the state under the Revenue Stabilization Act (RSA), which serves as the baseline of information about state government finances. In FY 2023, the budget was $6.2 billion, up from $5.7 billion in 2021. According to data from the Census Bureau, however, total revenues and expenditures administered by the state government was approximately $27 billion. That means that expenditures were over four times the size of the RSA budget.
The Treasurer of State is in a unique position to explain to the taxpayers of Arkansas where ALL of their tax dollars are going. That is why I propose making the office of Treasurer of State a portal of transparency for state government finances.
Arkansas Financial Education Commission
An important job of the Arkansas Treasurer of State is serving as Chair of the Arkansas Financial Education Commission (AFEC). In the spirit of fiscal transparency, I look forward to supporting the growth and development of the Commission.
The AFEC was established in 2021 to provide “educational resources that will help Arkansans in all geographic areas and socioeconomic backgrounds achieve financial well-being now and for future generations.”
As an economic educator, I am in full support of the spirit of this initiative. Throughout my career I have relished the opportunity to teach my students not only about the academic discipline of economics, but also how understanding economics and finance in the real world can be enlightening and empowering.
During my years at the Federal Reserve I worked closely with the Economic Education Division, helping develop and implement programs for economic education. Including my time at UA-Little Rock, I have over 30 years of teaching experience in the field of economics and banking.
The Treasurer’s role as Chair of the Arkansas Financial Education Commission is yet another reason that I am the most qualified candidate to fulfill ALL of the duties of Arkansas Treasurer of State.
