Video: CDC Data Highlights “Deaths From Despair”
Recent data from the CDC shows that deaths resulting from suicide and drug overdose — what many experts call “deaths from despair” — are on the rise in America.
Health Committee Soundly Rejects Assisted Suicide Bill
This morning the House Public Health Committee soundly rejected a proposal that would have legalized physician-assisted suicide in Arkansas.
This is really good news!
H.B. 1536 legalizing physician-assisted suicide has been widely discussed in Arkansas for weeks, and a lot of testimony was offered in the committee meeting when the bill came up this morning.
In the end, not a single state representative who was present for the meeting today supported the bill.
This was a deeply flawed bill. It fundamentally disrespected the sanctity of innocent human life. Arkansans understood that and have made it that they overwhelmingly oppose physician-assisted suicide.
Hats off to everyone who contacted their state legislators and helped defeat H.B. 1536 — including the 123 ministers and church leaders who signed an open letter to the Arkansas Legislature opposing this bill!
The One Thing the Arkansas Lottery Needs to Do to Increase Funding for College Scholarships
On Friday the Arkansas Lottery released its financial report for the month of February.
The Arkansas Lottery grossed more than $41 million, but gave scholarships less than $8.2 million — just 20 cents out of every dollar the Lottery made.
The Arkansas Lottery consistently has paid out pathetic sums to college scholarships since Day One.
While the average state lottery gives about 30% of its gross revenue to state programs, Arkansas’ gives about 17% – 18%. As a result, college scholarship funding never has lived up to the promises made when the Lottery came to the state a decade ago.
But today the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration issued a fiscal impact statement confirming that the Lottery Office only has to do one thing to provide more money for college scholarships: Give a larger percentage of its gross revenue to the state’s Academic Challenge Scholarship fund.
The report was issued in response to S.B. 387, which requires the Lottery to give 25% of its gross revenue to college scholarships by Fiscal Year 2025.
According to the report, if this bill passes, scholarship funds will increase from $99.9 million next year to $124.9 million by 2025.
Below is a breakdown of lottery revenue and scholarship funding so far this fiscal year.
| Month | Gross Lottery Revenue | Paid to Scholarships | % Gross Revenue |
| July | $42,413,352.70 | $5,066,628.73 | 11.9% |
| August | 40,343,279.62 | 6,175,998.40 | 15.3% |
| September | 35,198,809.72 | 7,783,450.82 | 22.1% |
| October | 57,575,285.62 | 11,259,040.31 | 19.6% |
| November | 37,700,016.00 | 6,821,411.01 | 18.1% |
| December | 45,859,642.73 | 6,650,791.54 | 14.5% |
| January, 2019 | 40,574,813.28 | 7,848,495.62 | 19.3% |
| February | 41,060,111.75 | 8,198,257.31 | 20.0% |
| Total | $340,725,311.42 | $59,804,073.74 | 17.6% |