LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has signed into law a measure creating a $173 million fund to combat the coronavirus and to address a budget shortfall the state faces because of the outbreak. Hutchinson signed the legislation early Saturday moving the state’s surplus into the newly created “COVID-19 Rainy Day Fund.” The governor can access the fund with the approval of legislative leaders. Hutchinson signed the legislation shortly after the House and Senate approved it in a midnight meeting. Hutchinson on Saturday afternoon announced the number of coronavirus cases had increased to at least 404, with two additional deaths.
