Matthew J. Shepherd
Republican • 6th District 92nd General Assembly- Party
- Republican
- Past Service
- House 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, Speaker-designate, Speaker of the House 2018
- Seniority
- 5
- Religion
- Southern Baptist
- Occupation
- Attorney
Rep. Matthew Shepherd of El Dorado is serving his fifth term in the Arkansas House of Representatives and his second term as Speaker of the House. He represents District 6, which includes a portion of Union County.
A native of El Dorado, Rep. Shepherd graduated from El Dorado High School. He earned his bachelor's degree from Ouachita Baptist University and his law degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law. A practicing attorney, he is a member of the El Dorado Rotary Club, the Arkansas Bar Association, the Union County Bar Association, and the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce.
Before he was elected Speaker, Rep. Shepherd served two terms as chair of the House Judiciary Committee.
Speaker Shepherd first entered the Arkansas House Chamber in 1997 as an intern for then Governor Mike Huckabee. His job was to sit in the gallery, record the action on the floor, and then report back to the bill room for tracking.
Twenty two years later, Shepherd was elected Speaker of the Arkansas House for the 92nd General Assembly. Shepherd began serving as Speaker of the 91st General Assembly in June of 2018 upon the resignation of Speaker Jeremy Gillam.
Rep. Shepherd and his wife, Alie, have three young children and reside in El Dorado.
Elected Terms
2019 (Jan 1st, 2019 — Dec 31st, 2020) 2017 (Jan 1st, 2017 — Dec 31st, 2018) 2015 (Jan 1st, 2015 — Dec 31st, 2016) 2013 (Jan 1st, 2013 — Dec 31st, 2014) 2011 (Jan 1st, 2011 — Dec 31st, 2012)Leadership Roles
SpeakerNewsroom
With a vote of 91-0, the House passed HB1685. This bill increases the foundation funding for K-12 ed...
On Monday, House members began the 10th week of the Regular Session.With a vote of 87-0 and 4 member...
This week, the House passed legislation which will drastically change the way our communities respon...
With a vote of 82-0 and 10 members voting present, the House passed the Transformation and Efficienc...
The House State Agencies Committee advanced SB445. This bill states that the date of the primary ele...
The House Judiciary Committee advanced SB197. This bill clarifies that a law enforcement officer may...
On Monday, the House passed HB1523. This bill states a correctional or detention facility shall not...
Arkansas ranks forty-fourth in the nation when it comes to maternal mortality rates. Maternal...
The House Education Committee advanced HB1409. This bill provides 40 minutes of recess for ele...
The House Rules committee advanced HB1565. This bill seeks to provide funding for a national c...
The House Education Committee advanced HB1569. This bill allows school districts to develop policies...
On Monday, the House passed two pieces of legislation addressing highway funding.In a vote of 71-26,...
In Arkansas, there are two ways to put a constitutional amendment on an election ballot.First, an in...
In a vote of 85-6, the House passed HB1437. This bill makes it a Class A misdemeanor if a mandated r...
The House State Agencies committee advanced HJR1018. This is a proposed constitutional amendment whi...
Little Rock, Arkansas (February 27, 2019) –Arkansas House Speaker Matthew Shepherd has named Tommy M...
The House Revenue and Taxation Committee advanced legislation outlining $95 million in additional fu...
With a vote of 78-13 and 2 members voting present, the House passed HB1489. This legislation address...
Close to 200 bills have been signed into law as we close the 6th week of the 2019 Regular Session.On...
On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee advanced several pieces of legislation including HB1437....
The House State Agencies Committee advanced legislation addressing petitions for constitutional amen...
On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee advanced several pieces of legislation including HB1126 wh...
We are now entering the 6th week of the session.On Monday, the House passed HB1403. This bill allows...
More than 140 bills have been signed into law during this session.There are hundreds of bills still...
In a vote of 82-14 with 2 members voting present, the House passed SB211. This bill cuts the top tax...
The House State Agencies Committee advanced HB1402. This bill requires special elections to be held...
The House Revenue and Taxation Committee advanced SB211 this morning. This bill cuts the top tax rat...
In a vote of 96-0, the House passed HB1302, An Act to Create the Red Tape Reduction Collective Rulem...
This week, the House voted overwhelmingly to raise teacher salaries, increase a tax credit, and incr...
With a vote of 91-0, the House passed a bill titled the Teacher Salary Enhancement Act. HB1145...
In a vote of 95-0, the full House voted in favor of HB1296. This prohibits and occupational li...
The House Education Committee advanced several bills including HB1145, the Teacher Salary Enhancemen...
SPEAKER SHEPHERD APPOINTS NATHAN EVERS TO INDEPENDENT CITIZENS COMMISSION Little Rock, Ar...
House members are now preparing for the fourth week of the 2019 Regular Session. We are expecting to...
The House has now completed the third week of the Regular Session.Today, the House Public Transporta...
The House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee advanced legislation that will allow a f...
The House Public Transportation Committee advanced several pieces of legislation today.HB1100 addres...
The House is now entering its third week of the Regular Session.On Monday, the House voted 94-0 to r...
The House has now wrapped up its second week of the Regular Session. More than 250 bills have been f...
On Thursday, the House passed legislation aimed at protecting employees when it comes to microchip t...
Members of the House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee began hearing details on legi...
Two pieces of legislation addressing the opioid crises in Arkansas moved forward today.With a vote o...
Highway funding, tax cuts, teacher salaries, and transforming state government are just a few of the...
There are a few bills now making their way to the House floor as we are wrapping up the first week o...
In every session, one of the first pieces of legislation to be considered by the House is the resolu...
It was another historic day in the House Chamber as all newly elected constitutional officers took t...
Having a diverse membership helps the House of Representatives more effectively serve the people of...
There is a new rule taking effect this session which changes the way our many of our committees are...
“I have been made aware of the arrest of Rep. Gates this morning.It is deeply troubling to hear of a...
Contact Representative Shepherd
Matthew J. Shepherd
matthew.shepherd@arkansashouse.org
200 N. Jefferson Ave., #600
El Dorado, AR 71730
870-862-2087
Fax: 870-862-2747
