Rep. Stephen Magie of Conway today introduced legislation to repeal former Rep. Micah Neal’s 2015 legislation that exempted restaurant and hotel sales tax records from the state Freedom of Information Act.

Neal’s family owns Neal’s Cafe in Springdale. He didn’t like release of the records, which gave a public window to the size of restaurant sales. He showed disrespect for the law in multiple other ways, particularly in taking kickbacks from tax money he funneled for dubious purposes to organizations in his area, including a Bible college. He’s pleaded guilty to a federal charge and awaits sentencing.

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Might the majority Republican legislature, even though Neal was a Republican in high standing whose dubious testimony allowed the Republican Party to capture the Washington County judge seat, be a little embarraswed to fight to preserve the darkness-producing work of an admitted felon?

Birds of a feather.

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