Arkansas House of Representatives

Arkansas House of Representatives
93rd Arkansas General Assembly
Seal
Type
Type	Lower house
Term limits	16 Years (both houses)
History
Founded	January 30, 1836 (1836-01-30)
New session started	January 11, 2021
Leadership
Speaker	Matthew Shepherd (R) since June 15, 2018
Speaker pro Tempore	(R) since January 2015
Majority Leader	Austin McCollum (R) since January 2021
Minority Leader	Tippi McCullough (D) since May 2019
Structure
Seats	100
Political groups	Majority   Republican (76) Minority   Democratic (24)
Length of term	2 years
Authority	Article 8, Section 2, Arkansas Constitution
Salary	$39,399.84/year + per diem
Elections
Voting system	First-past-the-post
Last election	November 3, 2020 (100 seats)
Next election	November 8, 2022 (100 seats)
Redistricting	Arkansas Board of Apportionment
Meeting place
House of Representatives Chamber Arkansas State Capitol Little Rock, Arkansas
Website
Arkansas House of Representatives

The Arkansas State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the state. Each district has an average population of 29,159 according to the 2010 federal census. Members are elected to two-year terms and, since the 2014 Amendment to the Arkansas Constitution, limited to sixteen years cumulative in either house.^[1]

The Arkansas House of Representatives meets annually, in regular session in odd number years and for a fiscal session in even number years, at the State Capitol in Little Rock.^[2]

History[]

Arkansas House members in 1893, the four known African American members are segregated to the bottom right

During the Reconstruction era that followed the American Civil War, the Federal government passed the Reconstruction Acts and African Americans were enfranchised with voting rights. African Americans were elected and served in the Arkansas House although the numbers eventually declined as the Democrats retook control and were able to restore white supremacy. By the start of the 20th century African Americans were largely barred from holding in the Arkansas House and across the southern states.

Leadership of the House[]

The Speaker of the House presides over the body and is elected by the membership every two years. Its duties include the supervision and directing the daily order of business, recognizing members to speak, preserving order in the House, deciding all questions of order and germaneness, certifying all measures passed, assigning committee leadership, and naming members to select committees. In the Speaker's absence, the Speaker Pro Tempore presides.

Officers[]

Floor Leaders[]

Current composition[]

Composition of the Arkansas State House after the 2018 elections

  Democratic Party

  Republican Party

  Republicans elected as Democrats

Current membership[]

Past composition of the House of Representatives[]

Committees[]

The House has 10 Standing Committees:

CLASS A

• Education
• Judiciary
• Public Health, Welfare & Labor
• Public Transportation
• Revenue and Taxation

CLASS B

• Aging, Children & Youth, Legislative & Military Affairs
• Agriculture, Forestry & Economic Development
• City, County and Local Affairs
• Insurance and Commerce
• State Agencies and Governmental Affairs

HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEES

• Rules
• House Management

JOINT COMMITTEES

• Budget
• Energy
• Performance Review
• Public Retirement and Social Security Programs
• Advanced Communication and Information Technology

CURRENT COMMITTEES INCLUDE:^[3]

Each Representative serves on two Standing Committees, and each committee has 20 members. Standing Committee chairmen and vice-chairmen are selected from respective committee rosters by the Speaker.

Two Select Committees operate exclusively within the House. Members of the committees are appointed by the Speaker. The House Select Committees are the House Committee on Rules and the House Management Committee.

The Committee on Rules considers all proposed action touching the House rules, the joint rules and the order of business. The Committee also considers all legislation dealing with alcohol, cigarettes, tobacco, tobacco products, coin-operated amusement devices, vending machines, lobbying, code of ethics, pari-mutuel betting and similar legislation.

The House Management Committee works with the Speaker of the House to direct and oversee operations of the House of Representatives. Its duties include the hiring and supervision of the House Staff, the development of personnel policies and procedures, and the monitoring of facility usage and maintenance.

Representatives also serve on five committees that operate jointly with the Senate. They are Joint Budget, Joint Retirement and Social Security Programs, Joint Energy, Joint Performance Review and Joint Committee on Advanced, Communications and Information Technology

House members of the Joint Budget Committee are chosen by their peers from respective caucus districts. House members on other Joint Committees are appointed to their positions by the Speaker.

History[]

John Wilson, the speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives, stabbed Representative J. J. Anthony to death during a legislative debate on the floor of the chamber in 1837. Wilson was later acquitted. The Old State House is said to be haunted to this day.^[4][5]

In 1922, Frances Hunt became the first woman elected to a seat in the Arkansas General Assembly when she was elected to a seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives.^[6]

In 2020, several members tested positive for COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Arkansas.^[7]

See also[]

• Arkansas General Assembly
• Arkansas Senate
• Arkansas State Capitol

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arkansas House of Representatives.

• Official website
• Arkansas House of Representatives at Ballotpedia

Coordinates: 34°44′48″N 92°17′21″W / 34.7467387°N 92.2892220°W / 34.7467387; -92.2892220