5 minute read
Meet the Leadership in the 93rd General Assembly
Arkansas’ 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. Scott Flippo Senate Majority Leader
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.
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.
Rep. Austin McCollum House Majority Leader
Rep. Austin McCollum, R-Bentonville, replaces Rep. Marcus Richmond, R-Harvey, as House Majority Leader during the 93rd General Assembly.
This will mark his third term representing District 95, which covers a portion of Benton County. Rep. McCollum is a graduate of the University of Tulsa and works in finance and business analytics for a retail company.
During the 2019 session, Rep. McCollum co-sponsored HB1343 (now Act 564), which amended the law concerning the publication of a county’s annual appropriations ordinance, budget and financial report. The change allows county clerks to publish those documents one time in a newspaper published in the county, and then requires them to send the documents to the AAC for publication on its transparency website.
During the 93rd General Assembly, Rep. McCollum will serve on the Revenue and Taxation, and State Agencies and Governmental Affairs committees.
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 was first elected to the state Senate in 2013 and served as Senate Minority Leader in 2017 and 2019.
Ingram represents Senate District 24, which includes Crittenden County and parts of Cross, Lee, Phillips, and St. Francis counties. During the 92nd General Assembly, his legislative priorities included stronger ethics and campaign finance laws. He served on the task force that developed a package of income tax reductions and bills to make the Arkansas tax system more competitive and more fair.
During the 93rd General Assembly, he will serve on the Revenue and Taxation, Insurance and Commerce, Efficiency, Joint Retirement and Social Security, and Joint Budget committees.
Rep. Tipppi McCullough, D-Little Rock, will enter her second term in the House when the body convenes in January. She replaces former Rep. Charles Blake, D-Little Rock, as House Minority Leader.
She is an educator who received an associate’s degree in physical education from Garland County Community College, a bachelor’s degree in physical education and English from Ouachita Baptist University, and master’s in English from Henderson State University.
As such, many of the bills she sponsored or co-sponsored during the 2019 legislative session focused on education related issues.
Thus far for the 93rd General Assembly, she has signed on as co-sponsor of a bill that would enhance penalties for crimes deemed hate crimes.
During the 2021 Legislative Session, Rep. McCullough will serve on the House Judiciary, and City County and Local Affairs committes.
Sen. Keith Ingram Senate Minority Leader Rep. Tippi McCullough House Minority Leader
