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FEATURE
Meet the leadership in the 93rd General Assembly
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rkansas’ 93rd General Assembly will convene Jan. 11, 2021. Bill filing began on Nov. 16, 2020. 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 Jimmy Hickey, Jr., Speaker of the House
Matthew Shepherd, Senate and House Majority Leaders Sen. Scott Flippo and Rep. Austin McCollum, and Senate and House Minority Leaders Sen. Keith Ingram and Rep. Tippi McCullough. County and district elected officials will encounter these legislators on the hill. We hope you find this issue of the magazine informative, and we look forward to seeing you at the Capitol.
Sen. Jimmy Hickey, Jr. Senate President Pro Tempore
Rep. Matthew Shepherd Speaker of the House
Sen. Hickey, R-Texarkana, succeeds Sen. Jim Hendren, R-Gravette, as President Senate Pro Tempore in the 93rd General Assembly. He represents District 11, which includes Lafayette, Little River and Miller counties, as well as parts of Hempstead and Sevier counties. He was elected to the senate in 2012. During the 93rd General Assembly, he will serve on the Revenue and Taxation Committee, the Insurance and Commerce Committee, Joint Performance Review, Joint Retirement and Social Security, and the Joint Budget Committee. He also will serve on the Joint Interim Committee on Legislation for Facilities, a committee to which he can appoint one member. During the 2019 session he took the lead in the Senate of analyzing the impact of the longest bill ever filed in Arkansas history, a far-reaching transformation of state government’s structure that was more than 2,000 pages long. His business interests include rental and real estate investments. He was a banker for 25 years and retired from Commercial National Bank as senior vice president.
Rep. Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, was first elected Speaker of the House in 2018. He presided over the House durng the 92nd General Assembly, and won re-relection as Speaker this year. Shepherd has served in the House since 2011. He is a practicing attorney and represents House Distrct 6. Two years ago, Speaker Shepherd controlled the committee selection process, a change made in response to an effort by Democrats to use their members’ seniority to gain a majority on the Revenue and Taxation Committee, despite their minority status, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. After one cycle under that system, the House voted last year to revert to the old system, under which senior members of the chamber are able to select the committees they wish to serve on. The Speaker retains the power to make adjustments to ensure that committees are controlled by the majority party. Speaker Shepherd, who will serve on the Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committee, is expected to announce committee chairmen and vice-chairmen in January.
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Sen. Scott Flippo Senate Majority Leader Arkansas State Sen. Scott Flippo, RBull Shoals, represents Senate District 17, which includes portions of Baxter, Boone and Marion counties. A native of Mountain Home, he lives in Bull Shoals and owns Carefree Living, an assisted living center. Flippo was first elected to the state Senate in 2014 and took the oath of office in 2015. During the 2019 session, Sen. Flippo was the primary sponsor on several bills affecting county government. SB193 (now Act 238) required deputy coroners to receive training in medicolegal death and secure a certificate from the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators. SB599 (now Act 891) amended the law regarding the issuance of a bond by a regional solid waste management district. The amendment requires the approval of the Quorum Court before such a bond is issued. During the 93rd General Assembly, he will serve as vice chairman of the Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee. He also will serve as a member of the Senate City, County Local Affairs, Joint Performance Review, Joint Energy and Joint Budget committees. COUNTY LINES, FALL 2020
