LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas' governor is calling for a reorganization of state government that would cut the number of departments answering directly to him from 42 to 15.
Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday detailed a reorganization plan that he hopes to bring before the Legislature next year. Hutchinson is running for re-election in November against Democratic challenger Jared Henderson.
Hutchinson's proposal includes putting the State Police, the Crime Labe and the state Department of Emergency Management, among other law enforcement-related agencies, under a new Department of Public Safety. He also proposed merging the departments of Correction and Community Correction.
Democratic candidate for governor Jared Henderson said that "Arkansans deserve bold leadership that solves our problems, not rearranges them."
"We need leaders to devote this much effort into truly transforming our education system to serve every teacher and child, transforming our healthcare system to allow patients to receive affordable services and prescriptions no matter their pre-existing condition, or transforming our economy to focus on building small business in every community rather than bringing in overseas corporations to a handful of towns," Henderson said.
Hutchinson is promoting the plan as the first comprehensive effort to trim state government since 1972.
THV11 contributed to this story by adding comments from Jared Henderson.