LITTLE ROCK With pivotal state policy to be made and billions of taxpayer dollars on the line in the 2009 regular session, Gov. Mike Beebe will seek cooperation on key issues among a cadre of government leaders, some of whom have clashed in the past with him and each other.

LITTLE ROCK Four more House Republicans broke ranks with their party Tuesday to back Gov. Mike Beebe's proposed hike in cigarette and chewing tobacco taxes, as the GOP's House leader criticized Beebe as a "tax-and-spend" governor.

LITTLE ROCK Arkansas' lottery takes center stage at the Capitol this week, after lawmakers agreed to increase the tax on tobacco products and hold off debate on a measure to cut the sales tax on groceries until more updated financial data is available.

LITTLE ROCK (AP) Drafters of the bill creating an Arkansas lottery say they want the commission overseeing the games to run like a business, not an arm of government.

... whether that should be extended to the Legislature, too. Sen. Steve Faris, chairman of the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee, said Thursday he believed there should be a restriction on former lawmakers lobbying on ...

LITTLE ROCK The Senate on Tuesday approved placing a cap on the amount of money colleges and universities can spend on scholarships, while the House voted to increase state fees on wholesale milk.

... single dollar we raise from the lottery," Wills told a joint meeting of the House Rules and Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs committees on Wednesday. Under the proposal, a scholarship to a four-year university would be ...

LITTLE ROCK How much tax relief the state can afford may become clearer to lawmakers this week as they prepare to look at the state's latest revenue figures.

... and discuss several amendments that have been introduced in that chamber, and the head of the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee said he hopes to hold a similar hearing on Thursday. Associated Press Writer Jill Zeman ...

LITTLE ROCK The House gave final approval to a nearly $10 million cut in the tax manufacturers pay for utilities on Thursday and also backed a reduction in the tax on bingo cards for charitable organizations.