LITTLE ROCK — Democratic Party of Arkansas Chair Grant Tennille released the following statement on the first day of the Arkansas Legislative Session.

“Arkansas Democrats may just be the toughest legislative caucus in the country. That’s why during this session, Democrats will continue fighting to make Arkansas better. Our 2025 Better Arkansas Agenda features nearly 40 different bills that would tackle mental health, defend democracy, strengthen public education, and take Arkansas from worst-to-first in maternal health. It’s time to pass them.

Meanwhile, the extreme GOP supermajority offers more government-as-usual. They have spent millions of tax dollars on private, expensive underground tunnels and worked to repeal transparency laws in the Natural State. Their priority, consistently, is to give handouts to the wealthiest Arkansans and give crumbs to the folks who are struggling to get by.

The GOP doesn’t want you to know what they’re doing in the State Capitol. That’s exactly why it’s never been more important for Arkansans to tune in.

The Democratic Legislators who took their oaths today look like Arkansas. Our caucus includes public school teachers like Rep. Tippi McCullough, Rep. Jesse McGruder, and, now, the first Latina to ever serve in the Arkansas State House Rep. Diana Gonzales Worthen. Democrats are faith leaders like Rep. Glenn Barnes & Sen. Jamie Scott, and local leaders like Hughes Mayor Rep. Lincoln Barnett, and Sen. Reginald Murdock. Our Democratic legislators are talented professionals like Rep. Nicole Clowney & Rep. Steve ‘Doc’ Magie, and so many others who have worked their entire careers to make Arkansas better.

We congratulate the legislators who were sworn in on Jan 13th, and we look forward to a lively debate during this session of the General Assembly.”

On Jan 14th, Democratic legislative leaders will give a response to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’s State of the State Address. The response will occur 30 minutes after completion of the State of the State address in the Old Supreme Court room at the Capitol.