Speaker Matthew Shepherd was sworn in Monday, January 9, for another term as Speaker of the House of the Arkansas House of Representatives for the 94th general assembly. Soon after, Speaker Shepherd announced his selections for Chairs and Vice Chairs of committees of the House of Representatives.
Unlike the state senate, who allows individual members to select their committees, chairs, and vice chairs, the House positions are filled by the speaker. Much debate has been held over this new practice the House took a few years ago, with people challenging the rule change being ostracized in the house chamber.
Before the session, a majority of republican legislators called on Speaker Shepherd to avoid appointing any Democrat members as Chairs or Vice Chairs of committees after the people of Arkansas elected a record 82 out of 100 house seats for Republicans.
Shepherd ended up appointing three Democrats out of 36 chair or vice chair roles on standing and select joint committees. However, the Republicans he chose to chair, at least one committee caught conservatives’ attention.
State Representative Lee Johnson is a medical doctor from Sebastian County. He is beginning his third term in office. He narrowly won a Republican primary in 2022 after he had the most liberal voting record of all Republicans in the previous session. This included his support of the chemical castration of minors and transitioning of minors from their biological gender to a selected gender of their choice. Johnson also opposed nearly every reform to roll back regulations, mandates, and roadblocks to improve healthcare quality and access in Arkansas, instead protecting the status quo and continuing high prices for doctors, hospitals, and the healthcare industry. Johnson was bankrolled by the healthcare industry in his re-election campaign.
Speaker Shepherd announced that Rep. Johnson would be the new Chair of the House Public Health, Welfare, and Labor committee for the 94th General Assembly. This gives him full control on calling, canceling, and holding of meetings and agendas for this committee which considers some of the most important legislation in the general assembly. The committee routinely must hold long meetings that can go late into the evening for several weeks to ensure all bills are given a chance to be heard. Johnson could use his new position to block conservative reforms by
simply refusing to meet or refusing to hear bills he does not like. Representative Josh Miller was appointed Vice Chair of the committee and has a record of conservative votes. Miller has served on the Public Health committee for many sessions.
Contact Lee Johnson and let him know you want him to he give all conservative reform bills a fair hearing. You could also contact Speaker Shepherd and ask him to change his pick and instead elevate Vice Chair Miller to become Chair in order to ensure fairness, experience, and conservative reforms that the people have voted for.
Rep. Lee Johnson Contact:
Phone: 479-883-6393
Email: lee.johnson@arkansashouse.org or lee@leejohnsonforarkansas.com
Facebook: Lee Johnson
Speaker Matthew Shepherd Contact:
Phone: 870-862-2087 or 870-814-2080
Email: matthew.shepherd@arkansashouse.org or matthewshepherd@gmail.com
Facebook: Matthew Shepherd
Twitter: @AR_HouseSpeaker
