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Arkansas is home to over 219,000 Veterans. They live and work in every community throughout our state.Our men and women who served are an extraordinarily selfless group. They worked as a team and looked out for one another.  We must look out for them.  In 2017, the General Assembly passed Act 141 which exempts military […]

The State of Arkansas will observe Veterans Day as an official state holiday on Monday, November 11, 2019.  State Capitol Offices and all State Buildings will be closed. The State Capitol Building will, however, be open to visitors that day from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM.The Capitol cafe, 500 Grill, and the Capitol Gift Shop […]

On Monday morning, House members were informed of the passing of one of our fellow representatives. Representative John Walker was elected to the House in 2010 and was serving his 5th term when he passed at the age of 82.He represented District 34 which includes southwest portions of Little Rock. His public service career stretched […]

John Walker was my colleague as an attorney and State Representative, a civil rights icon, and my friend. I am saddened by his passing, and my thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this time.  Speaker Matthew Shepherd  Arkansas House of Representatives

Childhood obesity is a serious problem across the country. 1 in 5 children are now obese.Several studies have shown that students will eat more fruits and vegetables when they have easy access to a variety of high quality fresh items. And one way to provide more healthy options is through Farm-to-School programs.October is National Farm-to-School […]

On average, an Arkansan with a bachelor’s degree will earn $700,000 more in a 30 year career than those who drop out of college.  The gap climbs to $1.5 million for those with a doctorate.This information is included in the 2018 Economic Security Report which was presented this week to the Arkansas Legislative Council Higher […]

Today’s vote to expel Rep. Gates sends a clear message. It tells Arkansans that their elected leaders are held to a high standard and must exemplify integrity at all times.  Although unfortunate it came to this action, the resolution and debate was necessary to safeguard the trust placed in us by the public. I thank […]

A 2017 study titled “Indicators of School Crime and Safety,” published by the United States Department of Justice and the United States Department of Education, reported that 20% of students ages 12-18 reported being bullied at school during the previous school year.The same study also reported that about 33% of students who reported being bullied […]

The House will meet in Caucus on Friday, October 11, 2019,  at noon to consider House Resolution 1079. VIEW CALENDAR

Last flu season, 113 influenza-related deaths were reported in Arkansas. According to the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), 71% of the adults who died were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccine history.ADH also reported that 28 schools closed briefly due to the flu last season.While only moderate in severity, the 2018-2019 season was record-breaking in […]

In 2016 in Arkansas, a total of 2,226 women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and 400 women died from the disease. Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women.  October is breast cancer awareness month. This is an opportunity to remind Arkansans of the importance of mammograms for […]

In Arkansas, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men will be the victim of domestic abuse in their lifetime. In 2018, 44 Arkansas died as a result of domestic violence. Domestic violence occurs among all types of families, regardless of income, profession, region, ethnicity, educational level or race. This week, a rally was […]