Governor Asa Hutchinson (Photo by ZIL)
In Asa Hutchinson’s first term as the 46th governor of Arkansas, he has won recognition for the state as a leader in computer science education, cut taxes by $150 million, and signed a law that exempts the retirement pay of veterans from state income tax.
Under his economic development policies, 70,000 more people are working in Arkansas than when he took office, and he has signed incentive agreements with nearly 400 companies that were expanding or opening in the state. For nearly two years, the state’s unemployment rate has stayed at or below the national rate.
President Ronald Reagan appointed Governor Hutchinson as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. In 1996, he won the first of three successive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. During his third term in Congress, President George W. Bush appointed him director of the Drug Enforcement Administration and later as an undersecretary in the newly created Department of Homeland Security.
His experience has established him as a national resource for his expertise on trade, energy, national security, and education. The governor has been invited to the White House several times to join discussions about health care, Medicaid, and education issues.
The Governor is the former chairman of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC), Southern States Energy Board (SSEB) and the Southern Regional Education Board.
Governor Hutchinson grew up on a small farm in Gravette. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas law school. He and his wife, Susan, have been married 45 years. They have four children and six grandchildren.