Issue Position: Jobs

Issue Position

Arkansas is a great place to live, work and raise a family. We are blessed in so many ways, and we are proud of what we have accomplished. However, while our economy gets stronger every day, too many families continue to struggle.

Creating more opportunities in this state is a two-way street: we need a highly-skilled workforce to attract the jobs of the future and we need the jobs of the future to keep a highly-skilled workforce in the state.

I believe that every single Arkansan, who is willing to work hard and play by the rules, deserves the opportunity to receive a world-class education; the opportunity to get a good-paying job; and, the opportunity to live a quality, happy life -- and they shouldn't have to leave Arkansas to do so.

As a former small business owner myself, I firmly believe the private sector should create jobs -- not the government. What Arkansas can do, however, is create an environment in this state that facilitates job creation, including better public education, a smarter tax code, fewer regulations and more support for entrepreneurs and job creation.

My comprehensive job creation and economic development plan is called Jobs First, because putting jobs first is exactly what I will do as governor. By prioritizing education and workforce training, tax cuts, government efficiency and economic development, my job creation plan outlines my positive vision for the future of this great state and will guide my work as your next governor. And, we will do all of this by putting an end to the partisan bickering and start working with one another to put jobs first.

1. Strengthen Education

In education, I will make pre-kindergarten education accessible to every 4-year-old in Arkansas. I will also encourage innovation in public education by creating the Innovation Laboratory (InLab) Fund so that educators can try innovative, yet proven learning ideas. I will fully fund the Arkansas School Recognition and Reward Program, a program that rewards schools based on a combined performance and improvement rating. I will also reform the program so that it recognizes performance and improvement separately.

My plan will provide 8th and 11th grade students in Arkansas with a Forecast of Careers in the United States (FOCUS) report to empower them to make better education choices that guide them to high-paying, highly-demanded careers. I will fully fund the Governor's Distinguished Scholarship so that Arkansas can encourage more of its best and brightest students to remain in Arkansas for their college education. And, I will encourage public/private partnerships that prioritize career and technical education and workforce training, so that those Arkansans who didn't go to or finish college can get the skills they need to succeed.

I want every Arkansas child to start sooner and finish stronger, with the opportunity to attend quality pre-k and stronger schools that prepare them to graduate ready for college or a career. We're going to make college more affordable and we're going to have a renewed focus on career and technical education and workforce training so we can empower all Arkansans to get the skills, training and education they need to get a good-paying job and provide for their families.

2. Cut Taxes

Our tax code must be smarter and fairer and we need to cut taxes for working families, small businesses and manufacturers in Arkansas. I will gradually eliminate the state's sales and use tax on partial replacements and repairs of manufacturing machinery and equipment so that our job creators can invest more money in modernizing their equipment and growing their businesses. I will also gradually modernize the state's income tax code in a way that creates lower, fairer taxes for working families and small businesses and saves the average working family in Arkansas $665 a year when fully implemented.

3. Reduce Government Red Tape & Regulations

The third part of my job creation plan is about government efficiency, transparency and accountability. I will create an online central business licensing system to dramatically reduce the time it takes to start a small business in Arkansas. I'll also require the state to publish all rules and regulations issued by state agencies and boards and commissions in a centralized online location and in a user-friendly format so that Arkansans know why, how and where regulations exist. Finally, I will establish a bipartisan task force to review all rules and regulations that have been in place longer than three years issued by state agencies and boards and commission, and then to make recommendations on which rules and regulations to keep, revise or repeal.

While government can help, it doesn't have all the answers, and it can't solve all our problems. Government should help where it can, and it should get out of the way where it can't. As a former small business owner, I know that taxes are too high and that overly burdensome government regulations can stifle economic growth. That's why my plan will cut taxes in a fiscally responsible way and will bring more efficiency, transparency and accountability to government.

4. Create More & Better-Paying Jobs by Putting Jobs First and by Encouraging Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Workforce Training

The final piece of my job creation plan entails several economic development ideas that focus on entrepreneurship, innovation and workforce training. I have previously announced my plan to create the Governor's Cabinet for Economic Development -- to be led by Democratic lieutenant governor nominee John Burkhalter -- that would help coordinate the state's job creation efforts. My plan also calls for fully funding the Governor's Quick Action Closing Fund, a fund set aside for the state to attract more and better-paying jobs to Arkansas.

I will also create the Strengthening Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (SEED) grant program to provide grants to communities, nonprofit organizations, economic development partnerships and community groups to fund initiatives, projects and programs that encourage or support entrepreneurship and/or innovation. I have also proposed a crowdsourcing campaign called "Engage Arkansas" that would encourage state government agencies to harness the ideas and entrepreneurial talents of Arkansas and give Arkansas's budding entrepreneurs opportunities to be recognized and rewarded for their skills and talents. The "Engage Arkansas" initiative would essentially create a website where state agencies would regularly solicit solutions or ideas from Arkansans and offer rewards or contracts to those who do.

Small businesses and entrepreneurs are the backbone to Arkansas's economy, and I want to have their backs. My job creation plan will give Arkansas the tools it needs to bring in the major employers, but we will also increase support for our small businesses, emphasize innovation in the private sector and give more opportunities for entrepreneurs to succeed and launch that next big idea right here in Arkansas. My plan will make it easier to start and grow a business in Arkansas, and will empower our state to become a cutting-edge leader in economic development.

Finally, I will lead a statewide coordinated effort to encourage and assist communities across Arkansas to attain nationally recognized "Work Ready Community" certifications that prioritize developing an educated, skilled and trained workforce to attract the good-paying jobs from around the country and across the world.

I know that education and job creation go hand in hand, which is why I want to be the education governor and why my plan is so focused on improving education and workforce training in Arkansas.

The bottom line is this: my job creation plan will strengthen public education and workforce training, cut taxes, reduce government regulations, and position Arkansas to become a national leader in the economic development community -- all of which will create more and better-paying jobs, grow the Arkansas economy for everyone and tell the nation that Arkansas is open for business.

You can learn more about the Mike Ross "Jobs First" Action Plan to Improve Education, Cut Taxes and Grow the Arkansas Economy for Everyone online at MikeRoss.com/JobsFirst.

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