Proposed USDA/Farm Services Agency consolidation

The USDA is proposing to close 131 of its 2,113 offices throughout the U.S., and the Lafayette/Columbia County office is on the closure list. A public meeting was held this morning at the Lewisville Agriplex to discuss reasons this office should be removed from the list.

9th Annual Phantom Ball

The Temple Memorial Rehabilitation Center is holding its 9th Annual Phantom here in Texarkana tonight. Temple Memorial began in 1952 for the purpose of rehabilitating children who had physical disabilities as a result of polio. Since that time, the organization has grown and changed. This year's Phantom honoree is the late Jack Trigg.

Texarkana Chamber of Commerce banquet

Testing out my mobile blogging skills. Denis Washington is the winner of this year's C.E. Palmer award.

Cooper Tire workers voting on new contract today -- UPDATE

Local steelworkers are voting today to ratify a contract between the tire company and workers. The Texarkana Gazette reported that 1,200 workers showed up to a ratification meeting yesterday at the fairgrounds to get details of the agreement. Voting started at 6:00 a.m. today. Here are a few highlights of the four year contract as reported by the Texarkana Gazette:

• Wage increases: Workers hired before Jan. 1, 2009: Lump-sum increase of $1,200 the first two years of the contract and a $1,000 one-time increase in the final two years of the contract. Workers hired after Jan. 1, 2009: One-time increase of $1,200 the first year of the contract and an increase of 20 cents per hour for each year worked, starting in 2013.

• Early-retirement buyout: Workers who are retirement-eligible can receive a lump sum of $1,000 for each year of completed service. The company set a limit of 50 people retiring each calendar year.

• Pensions/retirementaccount: The company’s 401(k) retirement matching program is discontinued.

I'll post an update once available. Cooper Tire is the largest employer in my senate district and employs over 1,500 workers.

Update: The contract was ratified 1,006 to 141.

SWEPCO purchases wind energy pursuant to settlement

SWEPCO has signed long-term power purchase agreements for a total of 358.65 megawatts of renewable energy from wind projects in neighboring states (Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas). The company has now complied with the 400-MW renewable energy commitment in a recent settlement of legal issues involving the John W. Turk Jr. Power Plant in Hempstead County. One of the concerns with this power plant has been the use of coal, despite the ultrasupercritical technology being utilized there. The plant has entered its final nine-month construction phase and is currently employing over 1,800 workers.

Know someone on the job hunt?

Two local positions close tomorrow: FDA tobacco inspections ($30K-35K) and DHS specialist ($27K-47K). Apply at https://www.ark.org/arstatejobs/index.php.

Trial court assistants

It's fairly well known that one of the fiscal issues that has been at the forefront this year is the revenue shortage in the Administration of Justice Fund to pay the state's trial court assistants. Here in Arkansas, the court of general jurisdiction is the circuit court, and each of the 120 circuit judges in the state employs an assistant to facilitate the caseload that is assigned to that judge. The Administration of Justice Fund has shrunk significantly in the past several sessions for a lot of reasons, and it's obvious that this funding issue won't go away with a quick fix.

It appears as though the governor and his staff have been working diligently with the judiciary, and a short term agreement for a supplemental appropriation looks to be in place so long as a permanent fix to the Administration of Justice Fund can be considered in 2013. That looks to be in the works, and a comprehensive bill has already been drafted for the 2013 session. Absent this supplemental appropriation, furloughs would apparently take place to the trial court assistants. It appears that that drastic measure will be averted.

Construction on the UACCH-Texarkana campus

I toured the ongoing construction of the initial administration building on campus at the new UACCH at Texarkana. This 10,000 sf building will be completed and classes will begin here on campus Fall, 2012.

Tentative deal struck for Cooper Tire workers

Officers with the Steelworkers 752L union with Cooper Tire in Texarkana struck a tentative agreement with administrators at Cooper Tire headquarters in Findlay, Ohio late last night. The deal extends the negotiations deadline in an effort to hammer out details of the agreement and to get the agreement ratified by the 1,500 steelworkers at the Texarkana plant over the weekend. The previous contract expired at midnight last night, making this week's negotiations crucial.

Previous Cooper blog articles here on Under the Dome:
Holding up our end of the bargain
Working the plant gate
Cooper plant increases production

Pre-fiscal session budget hearings -- Day 3

The Joint Budget Committee is meeting for the third day here at the Capitol this week reviewing agency budget requests and funding recommendations from the governor's proposed budget. Today we're reviewing Dept of Health and DHS budgets. It's expected that we'll get a motion to review the Department of Community Corrections budget, which was considered yesterday.

In particular, we're reviewing budgetary requests for emergency medical services and trauma, nuclear planning grants, rural physician incentives, tobacco prevention, and other health initiatives.