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Meet the legislative leadership for the 92nd session
Meet the leadership in the 92nd General Assembly
Arkansas’ 92nd General Assembly will convene Jan. 14, 2019, and the hallways of the state Capitol will soon house frenzied legislative activity. As this edition of County Lines was planned, it was decided to introduce Senate and House leadership to our readers.
On the following pages you will read more about President Senate Pro Tempore Jim Hendren, Speaker of the House Matthew Shepherd, Senate and House Majority Leaders Sen. Bart Hester and Rep. Marcus Richmond, and Senate and House Minority Leaders Sen. Keith Ingram and Rep. Charles Blake. County and district elected officials will encounter these gentlemen on the hill and at legislative functions.
We hope you find this issue of the magazine informative, and we look forward to seeing you at the Capitol.
Sen. Jim Hendren Senate President Pro Tempore Rep. Matthew Shepherd Speaker of the House
Sen. Hendren, R-Gravette, succeeds Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, as President Senate Pro Tempore in the 92nd General Assembly. Hendren served in the state House of Representatives from 1995-1999, and was first elected to the Senate in 2012.
Hendren served as Senate Majority Leader during the 2017 session. In a March 2018 interview with Talk Business & Politics, he said his mission as Majority Leader was to “implement the Republican agenda” in the Senate. He views his role as President Pro Tempore differently.
“As President Pro Tempore, my job’s a little bit different. It’s to make sure that the Senate functions efficiently, the Senate maintains decorum. That we make sure that we protect the institution, and it’s certainly somewhat in tatters now because of some of the behavior that’s been going on the last few years. So, my first item is going to make sure that we do everything we can to protect the integrity of the Senate, and instill a culture of integrity and ethics.”
Hendren represents Senate District 2, which includes portions of Benton and Washington counties.
During the early filing period, he and Sen. Keith Ingram have filed a joint resolution that would amend the Arkansas Constitution to reduce the number of days the legislature is in session and repeal the fiscal session, among other things.
In June 2018, the House of Representatives elected Rep. Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, as speaker to succeed Rep. Jeremy Gillam, R-Judsonia, who resigned to take a job with the University of Central Arkansas. Following his election, he told reporters his top priorities as speaker would include ethics, transformation of state government, the management of the House and making sure representatives properly vet legislation. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Shepherd told his fellow representatives, “I hope that every day that we serve that we understand that we are here not just in and of ourselves, that we represent our constituents back home and represent this state, and that we should hold ourselves to the highest standards of conduct and ethics.”
One defining piece of legislation that came out of the 2017 legislature after lengthy debate, was a rule change allowing the Speaker of the House to make all committee assignments. Shepherd will be the first Speaker to do so when the 92nd General Assembly convenes in Janaury.
Shepherd represents House District 6, which includes part of Union County. 2019 will mark the start of his fifth term.
Shepherd, who is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University and the University of Arkansas School of Law, is a practicing attorney in El Dorado.
Arkansas State Sen. Bart Hester, RBentonville, represents Senate District 1, which includes portions of Benton and Washington Counties. He served his first term in the Senate in 2013. He was Majority Whip during the 2017 legislative session.
Also during the 91st General Assembly in 2017, Hester co-sponsored, along with Reps. Kim Hammer, Karilyn Brown, Jeff Williams, and Mickey Gates, a bill championed by the Arkansas Tax Collectors Association. Senate Bill 114 — now Act 514 of 2017 — amended the requirements for publishing notice of delinquent taxes on mineral interests. Rather than publishing the parcels in a newspaper at a cost of about $1.50 per parcel, collectors now publish their delinquent mineral parcels on a free web site maintained by the Association of Arkansas Counties.
Collectors used the web site for the first time in 2018. Van Buren County alone reported savings of $25,000 on publication costs.
During the early filing period for the 92nd General Assembly, Hester has filed a bill that would restructure state government and reduce the number of department heads who report to Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
Professionally, Sen. Hester works in real estate and construction.
Sen. Bart Hester Senate Majority Leader
Rep. Marcus Richmond House Majority Leader
Rep. Marcus Richmond, R-Harvey, will be serving his third term in the Arkansas House of Representatives when the 92nd General Assembly convenes in January. He represents District 21, which includes part of Scott, Perry, Garland, Yell, Crawford, Sebastian, and Polk counties.
A retired businessman and cattle farmer, Richmond is from Harvey, Arkansas. In 2014, he was elected to succeed Terry Rice, who won the District 9 seat in the Senate. In his first term in office, Richmond served on the Aging, Children, and Youth Legislative and Military Affairs Committee, and the Public Transportation Committee. He served as 4th Caucus District Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore in 2017, and was also the House Majority Leader in 2018.
House committee assignments will not be made until the General Assembly convenes. At press time, Richmond had not filed any bills during the early filing period.
Sen. Keith Ingram, D-West Memphis, has enjoyed a long career in public service. He was mayor of West Memphis from 1987-1994. He served two terms in the state House of Representatives — in 2009 and 2011. He first elected to the state Senate in 2013 and served as Senate Minority Leader in 2017.
Ingram represents Senate District 24, which includes Crittenden County and parts of Cross, Lee, Phillips, and St. Francis counties. During the 92nd General Assembly, he will serve on the Senate Revenue & Taxation Committee; and the Senate City, County, and Local Affairs Committee. He will represent the 1st Congressional District on the Joint Budget Committee and the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee. Sen. Ingram will serve as vice-chairman of the Joint Retirement & Social Security Committee.
During his political career, Sen. Ingram has received many legislator and statesmanship awards from various organizations and groups. Professionally, he is vice president of Razorback Concrete.
Rep. Charles Blake, D-Little Rock, is entering his third term in the House. His District 36 includes a portion of Pulaski County. He succeeds former Rep. Michael John Gray as House Minority Leader.
During the 2017 legislative session, Rep. Blake serves on the House Judiciary Committee, the House Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs Committee, and the Joint Committee on Advanced Communications and Information Technology.
At press time, Blake had filed House Bill 1004, which would create the Arkansas Voter Integrity and Security Act, requires automatic voter registration, and amends other election laws.
Blake has served as Director of Advancement, Director of Finance and Operations, and a founding member of Little Rock Preparatory Academy. He has served on the Little Rock Citizen’s Evaluation of New Tax Committee, Daisy Gaston Bates Holiday Committee, Boys and Girls Club of Central Arkansas board, and the Southside Main Street board.
Sen. Keith Ingram Senate Minority Leader
Rep. Charles Blake House Minority Leader
By the numbers
