Sarah Huckabee Sanders Intends To Keep Arkansas Labor Secretary

By Advocate Staff, Arkansas Advocate

- January 5, 2023

Arkansas Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Thursday that she will reappoint Arkansas Labor Secretary Daryl Bassett.

Bassett was the first secretary of the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing under Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s reorganization of state government in 2019.

Bassett has deep connections to Sanders. Her father, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, appointed Bassett to the Public Service Commission. Bassett also served as Huckabee’s chief economic development advisor.

Bassett is one of a handful of Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s cabinet secretaries that Sanders plans to leave in place, including Larry Walther, secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration, and Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward.

The Labor and Licensing Department oversees compliance with the state’s labor laws, like minimum wage and occupational safety. It also houses many of the state’s occupational licensing boards and the Workers’ Compensation Commission.

“Arkansas workers deserve a Secretary of Labor and Licensing who always puts their interests first, which is what Secretary Bassett has done,” Sanders said in a statement. “I am pleased the Secretary has agreed to continue his stewardship of this department, promoting the protection and safety of workers, and to help me pursue bold reforms to ease burdensome regulations.”

Bassett said he was honored to continue serving.

“Our workers are the best in the country, and I look forward to continuing to be one of their strongest advocates across the state,” he said in a statement.

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