The pandemic pretty much suspended lobbyist wining-and-dining of the legislature in 2021, but the gravy train has resumed for this year's budget session.
Eric Besson of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has a fine article this morning from the murky depths of the Arkansas legislative swamp where lawmaking and corporate self-interest create a sludge impenetrably opaque to the casual observer. Let's filter the story about Rep. Jeff Wardlaw a bit:
The Arkansas Health Care Association — the lobby group for the nursing home industry — reported Monday that it had put $250,000 more, for a total of $580,000 so far into the constitutional amendment to cap awards in damage lawsuits (negligence, malpractice, etc.) at $250,000 and cap attorney fees at a third of the award.
The group formed to fight the nursing home lobby's effort to amend the constitution to discourage most lawsuits over neglect, abuse and malpractice reported today that it has raised $420,430.