91st Arkansas General Assembly
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| 91st Arkansas General Assembly | |||||||||
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 Arkansas State Capitol (2009) | |||||||||
| Overview | |||||||||
| Term | January 9, 2017 – January 14, 2019 | ||||||||
| Arkansas Senate | |||||||||
| Members | 34 (23 R, 11 D, 1 vacant) | ||||||||
| President of the Senate | Tim Griffin (R) | ||||||||
| President Pro Tempore of the Senate | Jonathan Dismang (R) | ||||||||
| Majority Leader | Jim Hendren (R) | ||||||||
| Minority Leader | Keith Ingram (D) | ||||||||
| Party control | Republican Party | ||||||||
| House of Representatives | |||||||||
| Members | 100 (69 R, 30 D, 1 Independent) | ||||||||
| House Speaker | Jeremy Gillam (R) Matthew Shepherd (R) | ||||||||
| Speaker pro Tempore | Jon Eubanks (R) | ||||||||
| Majority Leader | Ken Bragg (R) | ||||||||
| Minority Leader | David Whitaker (D) | ||||||||
| Party control | Republican Party | ||||||||
| Sessions | |||||||||
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The Ninety-First Arkansas General Assembly was the legislative body of the state of Arkansas in 2017 and 2018. In this General Assembly, the Arkansas Senate and Arkansas House of Representatives were both controlled by the Republicans. In the Senate, 23 senators were Republicans, 11 were Democrats, and one position was vacant until April. In the House, 69 representatives were Republicans, 30 were Democrats, and one was independent.
Major events
Corruption and scandals
The 91st General Assembly was marked by several scandals, indictments, and guilty pleas involving current and former legislators. Two sitting legislators resigned following charges of fraud and other crimes. Former legislators Hank Wilkins IV, Jon Woods[2] and Micah Neal[3] plead guilty during the 91st General Assembly, detailing a fraud and kickback scheme abusing Arkansas's General Improvement Fund. Their pleas indicated sitting members in the 91st General Assembly could be charged later.
Representative Mickey Gates (R-22nd) made national news for failing to pay taxes for 15 years, but resisted calls for his resignation.[4]
Major legislation
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Vacancies
- Senator Greg Standridge (R-16th) died November 16, 2017. He was replaced by Breanne Davis (R) via special election on May 22, 2018.[5]
- Senator Eddie Joe Williams (R-29th) resigned November 15, 2017 to serve as President Donald Trump's (R) representative to the Southern States Energy Board. He was replaced by Ricky Hill (R) via special election on May 22, 2018.[6]
- Representative David Branscum (R-83rd) resigned November 17, 2017 to become Arkansas's rural development director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He was replaced by Donald Ragland (R) via special election on May 22, 2018.[7]
- Speaker Jeremy Gillam (R-45th) resigned June 15, 2018 to become director of governmental affairs and external relations at the University of Central Arkansas. Gillam's seat in the 45th District remained vacant, though Matthew Shepherd took over as speaker on June 15, 2018.[8]
- Senator Jake Files (R-8th) resigned February 9, 2018, following a federal wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering guilty plea.[9] He was replaced by Frank Glidewell (R) via special election on August 14, 2018.[10]
- Senator Jeremy Hutchinson (R-33rd) resigned August 31, 2018, following a federal grand jury indictment of eight counts of wire fraud and four counts of filing false tax returns.[11][12]
Senate
Leadership
Officers
| Office | Officer | Party | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| President/Lieutenant Governor | Tim Griffin | Republican | |
| President Pro Tempore of the Senate | Jonathan Dismang | Republican | 16 |
| Assistant Presidents pro tempore | Missy Irvin | Republican | 18 |
| David J. Sanders | Republican | 15 | |
| Cecile Bledsoe | Republican | 9 | |
| Stephanie Flowers | Democratic | 25 |
Floor Leaders
| Office | Officer | Party | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| Majority Leader | Jim Hendren | Republican | 29 |
| Majority Whip | Bart Hester | Republican | 1 |
| Minority Leader | Keith Ingram | Democratic | 24 |
| Minority Whip | Will Bond | Democratic | 32 |
Source: Arkansas Senate[13]
Senators
| District | Name[14] | Party | Residence | First elected | Seat up | Term-limited |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bart Hester | Rep | Cave Springs | 2012 | 2020 | 2028 |
| 2 | Jim Hendren | Rep | Gravette | 2012 | 2020 | 2028 |
| 3 | Cecile Bledsoe | Rep | Rogers | 2008 | 2018 | 2020 |
| 4 | Uvalde Lindsey | Dem | Fayetteville | 2012 | 2018 | 2026 |
| 5 | Bryan King | Rep | Green Forest | 2012 | 2018 | 2024 |
| 6 | Gary Stubblefield | Rep | Branch | 2012 | 2018 | 2028 |
| 7 | Lance Eads | Rep | Springdale | 2016 | 2020 | 2032 |
| 8 | Jake Files | Rep | Fort Smith | 2013 | 2018 | |
| 9 | Terry Rice | Rep | Waldron | 2014 | 2018 | 2024 |
| 10 | Larry Teague | Dem | Nashville | 2008 | 2018 | 2020 |
| 11 | Jimmy Hickey Jr. | Rep | Texarkana | 2012 | 2020 | 2028 |
| 12 | Bruce Maloch | Dem | Magnolia | 2012 | 2020 | 2028 |
| 13 | Alan Clark | Rep | Lonsdale | 2012 | 2020 | 2028 |
| 14 | Bill Sample | Rep | Hot Springs | 2010 | 2018 | 2020 |
| 15 | David J. Sanders | Rep | Little Rock | 2012 | 2018 | 2026 |
| 16 | Greg Standridge | Rep | Russellville | 2015 (special) | 2020 | |
| 17 | Scott Flippo | Rep | Mountain Home | 2014 | 2018 | 2030 |
| 18 | Missy Irvin | Rep | Mountain View | 2010 | 2018 | 2026 |
| 19 | Linda Collins-Smith | Rep | Pocahontas | 2014 | 2018 | 2026 |
| 20 | Blake Johnson | Rep | Corning | 2014 | 2018 | 2030 |
| 21 | John Cooper | Rep | Jonesboro | 2014 (special) | 2020 | 2032 |
| 22 | David Wallace | Rep | Leachville | 2016 | 2020 | 2026 |
| 23 | Ron Caldwell | Rep | Wynne | 2012 | 2020 | 2028 |
| 24 | Keith Ingram | Dem | West Memphis | 2012 | 2018 | 2024 |
| 25 | Stephanie Flowers | Dem | Pine Bluff | 2010 | 2020 | 2020 |
| 26 | Eddie Cheatham | Dem | Crossett | 2012 | 2020 | 2022 |
| 27 | Trent Garner | Rep | El Dorado | 2016 | 2020 | 2032 |
| 28 | Jonathan Dismang | Rep | Beebe | 2010 | 2020 | 2024 |
| 29 | Eddie Joe Williams | Rep | Cabot | 2010 | 2020 | 2024 |
| 30 | Linda Chesterfield | Dem | Little Rock | 2010 | 2018 | 2020 |
| 31 | Joyce Elliott | Dem | Little Rock | 2008 | 2018 | 2020 |
| 32 | Will Bond | Dem | Little Rock | 2016 | 2020 | 2020 |
| 33 | Jeremy Hutchinson | Rep | Benton | 2010 | 2018 | 2020 |
| 34 | Jane English | Rep | North Little Rock | 2012 | 2020 | 2026 |
| 35 | Jason Rapert | Rep | Conway | 2010 | 2018 | 2026 |
