Former Arkansas Gov. Hutchinson gives Mississippi lawmakers tips on streamlining government

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told members of the Mississippi Senate Government Structure Committee on Wednesday that he was able to successfully streamline some of Arkansas’ government services without laying off or laying off workers.

Hutchinson, who served as Arkansas governor from 2015 to 2023, said he wanted to make restructuring state government part of his legacy when he left office, and the reforms he made to the system remained largely intact.

The two-term Republican governor recalled a recent conversation with an Arkansas lawmaker about redistricting. Hutchinson asked the senator what the response to the reforms had been, and the lawmaker responded that they had largely flown “under the radar.”

“And I said, ‘That’s the best answer I could ever have,'” Hutchinson said. “That means no one is trying to dismantle it. They accept it as the way we do business in government today and I hope it will have a lasting impact.”

As he began to consolidate government functions, Hutchinson said he formed an advisory board to make recommendations. When he created the board, he gave it three goals: promote efficiency and savings, increase management control, and improve service delivery to taxpayers.

In accepting the panel’s recommendations, Hutchinson said he was able to reduce the state government’s workforce by 5,000 employees by implementing a flexible hiring freeze and deciding not to replace the jobs of certain positions once workers retired.

Hutchinson also consolidated various government boards and commissions, which he said reduced taxpayer spending on government office rentals.

Hutchinson launched a brief, unsuccessful presidential run earlier this year. He dropped out of the Republican primary in January. His testimony was part of a hearing conducted by the Senate Government Structure Committee on restructuring Mississippi’s government.