Shannon Newton
President, ATA
In a few weeks, the Arkansas Legislature will begin their general session – a time when industry leaders and stakeholders fill the halls of the Capitol, each carrying proposals, concerns and hopes for new legislation. But before the serious work begins, before the committees convene and votes are cast, we had a chance to share something simpler: hospitality.
December brings the freshman legislators to Little Rock for orientation, and the Arkansas Trucking Association welcomed them to the Capital City with dinner at the historic Capital Hotel. There’s something magical about this place during Christmas with its two-story tree, mugs of eggnog and hot chocolate, seasonal music echoing off the marble floors and ornate ceilings.
We met the men and women who were just elected to serve their communities. They come from every corner of Arkansas—small towns and growing cities, farming communities and business districts, each bringing their unique perspectives to the shared task of governing our state. Soon enough, they’ll discover the complexities of representation, when their constituents’ needs differ from those of their colleagues’ districts. They’ll face the challenging work of crafting legislation that solves problems.
They will soon be flooded with constituent calls, requests for bill drafts, appeals for co-sponsorship and passionate voices on all sides of complex issues. But on this evening, there were no policy briefs to review, no positions to defend, no legislation to debate. Instead, there was just the breaking of bread and earnest introductions.
This is how relationships begin—not with asks, but with offerings. Not with agendas, but with open doors. Before these freshmen legislators take up the work of serving Arkansans, we had the honor of serving them. It’s a reminder that before we can build good policy, we have to build trust. Before we can work together, we must know each other as people who share a commitment to making Arkansas better.
In the months ahead, we’ll have many opportunities to educate these legislators about how their decisions impact communities and businesses. We’ll discuss the issues facing our industry and work together on solutions. But first, we offered something more fundamental: a warm welcome, genuine fellowship and the foundation for relationships that we hope will serve our state well beyond any single legislative session.
